EDITORIAL 
MESSAGES 

h 

WZiLTER  H.COTITNGUAM 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

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EDITORIAL 
MESSAGES 

Rom  the  President  of  ThE  SHERWmWiLLLiMS 
COMRUVY  to  his  Organization 

A  Colledlion  of  Editorials  selected  from 
the  writings  of  T^iterHCottingham 
President  oi^eShewinWilliams(bmbar$ 
Some  of  them  appeared  mFShe  Chameleon 
and  the  S^WP  Magazines  between  the 
years  1897  and  IQ16  —  others  appear- 
ed in  the  Sales  JBulhtins,  and  in  this  col- 
lection will  also  be  found  many  extracts 
fromMr-CoTTiNGHAMfs  addresses  before 
the  Company  Conventions  and  before 
business  gatherings  and 
University  groups. 


Privately  Printed, 
CLEVELAND,  OHIO,  November  1916 


Of  this  book  1,000  num- 
bered copies  have  been 
printed  of  which  this  is 
num  ber **£ 


COPYRIGHT,    1916 

BY 

WALTER    H.    COTTINGHAM 


FOREWORD 

!N  this  little  volume  will  be  found  a 
collection  of  articles  written  by  myself 
bearing  on  our  progress  during  the  past 
seventeen  years. 

Most  of  them  were  written  very  hur- 
riedly and  under  considerable  pressure,  often  on  rail- 
way trains,  or  in  hotels,  and  generally  late  at  night.  I 
never  had  time  to  spare  for  work  of  this  kind  at  my  desk. 

I  thought  a  review  of  these  articles  might  prove  of 
interest  at  this  time  when  we  are  commemorating  our 
fifty  years  of  history. 

Our  work  has  been  strenuous,  and  our  progress  has 
been  great.     The  one  is  the  result  of  the  other. 

I  have  found  the  greatest  satisfaction  and  pleasure 
in  my  business  life  in  planning,  in  working  out  the 
plans,  and  in  seeing  and  feeling  the  successful  results 
of  the  plans  and  the  work. 

I  am  convinced  a  busy  life  is  the  happiest.  It  is 
only  by  effort  that  progress  is  made,  and  life  without 
progress  is  but  a  poor  existence.  There  is  joy  in 
accomplishment.  Robert  Louis  Stevenson  wrote:  "I 
know  what  happiness  is  for  I  have  done  good  work." 

I  should  say  the  greatest  happiness  is  to  be  found  in 
congenial  and  steady  occupation  that  produces  con- 
stant progress  for  oneself  and  others. 

The  work  of  collecting  and  editing  the  articles 
reproduced  here  was  done  by  my  friends,  Frank  E. 
Davis  and  Charles  M.  Lemperly,  and  I  acknowledge 
here  most  gratefully  their  very  kind  services. 


Cleveland, 
November,  1916. 


CONTENTS 


ENTHUSIASM 

(from  The  Chameleon,  March,  1897,  and  the  first  article  of  the 
kind  written  by  Mr.  Cottingham,  who  was  then  directing  the  Com- 
pany's business  in  Canada)  Page        1 

IMPORTANCE  OF  ADVERTISING  IN  BUSI- 
NESS 

(from  The  Chameleon,  June,  1897)  Page        3 

THE  STRONGEST  ASSET 

(from  The  Chameleon,  February,  1899)  Page       7 

DO  IT  NOW 

(from  The  Chameleon,  March,  1899)  Page       9 

WHAT  DO  YOU  WANT  TO  BE  ? 

(from  The  Chameleon,  April,  1899)  Page     11 

MEN  AND  PROMOTIONS 

(from  The  Chameleon,  June,  1899)  Page     13 

BACKBONE 

(from  The  Chameleon,  September,  1899)  Page     15 

NEW  YEAR'S  REFLECTIONS 

(from  The  Chameleon,  January,  1900)  Page     17 

ORGANIZE  YOUR  TERRITORIES 

(from  The  Chameleon,  April,  1900)  Page     19 

QUALITY 

(from  The  Chameleon,  November-December,  1901)  Page     21 

PERSEVERANCE  IN  THE  FACE  OF  DIS- 
COURAGEMENT 

(from  The  Chameleon,   February,  1902)  Page     21 

A  PAYING  COMBINATION 

(from  The  SWP,  March,    1902)  Page     24 


CONTENTS 


BUSINESS 

(from  The  SWP,  July,  1902)  Page     26 

THE  LARGEST  AND  BEST  IN  THE  WORLD 

(from  The  SWP,  October,  1902)  Page     28 

COURAGE 

(Selected)  Page     31 

PLAN  YOUR  WORK  AND  WORK  YOUR 
PLAN 

(from  The  Chameleon,  March,  1903)  Page     33 

THE  WAY  TO  GET  BUSINESS  IS  TO  GO 
AFTER  IT 

(from  The  SWP,  March,  1903)  Page     35 

GET  OUT  AND  HUSTLE 

(from  The  SWP,  April,  1903)  Page     37 

SYSTEM  IN  BUSINESS 

(from  an  article  in  System  Magazine,  May,  1903)  Page     39 

THE  MANAGEMENT 

(from  The  November-December  Chameleon,  1903)  Page     40 

TIME  AND  PLACE 

(from  The  Chameleon,   February,   1904)  Page     43 

LEADERSHIP 

(from  The  Chameleon,  June,  1904)  Page     46 

REPUTATION 

(from  The  SWP,  June,  1904)  Page     48 

PLUCK 

(from  The  Chameleon,  February,  1905)  Page     50 

ORGANIZATION 

(from  The  SWP,  April,  1905)  Page     52 


CONTENTS 


SALES  THE  LIFE  BLOOD  OF  A  BUSINESS 

(from  The  SWP,  August,  1905)  Page      55 

PRACTICE,  PRACTICE,  PRACTICE 

(from  The  Chameleon,  January,  1906)  Page      57 

PROGRESS 

(from  The  Chameleon,  June,    1906)  Page      59 

WELL  DONE,  WELL  DONE 

(from  The  Chameleon,  September,  1906)  Page     61 

TRAINING  OF  THE  BOY 

(a  random  essay  on  the  office  boy,  or  junior  clerk)  Page     6  J 

THE  RELATION  OF  ADVERTISING  TO  THE 
COST  OF  GOODS 

(from  a  convention  address)  Page     66 

THE  FOUR-LEGGED  STOOL 

(Selected)  Page     69 


THE  CODE  OF  PRINCIPLES 


Page     70 


IMPORTANCE  OF  HEALTH  TO  SUCCESS 

(from  The  Chameleon,  February,  1907)  Page     71 

WHAT  BUSINESS  MEANS  TO  ME 

(from  The  SWP,  March,  1907)  Page     74 

HOME  AGAIN 

(from  The  Chameleon,  April,   1907)  Page     77 

STAYING  POWER 

(from  The  Chameleon,  May,  1907)  Page     80 

COURTESY  IN  BUSINESS 

(from  The  Chameleon,  July,  1907)  Page     8z 


CONTENTS 


MARCHING  ORDERS 

(a  bulletin  to  the  Sales  Force,  December  24,  1907)  Page     84 

THE  RECENT  PANIC 

(bulletin,  January  6,  1908)  Page     87 

GREAT  FIGHTERS 

(from  The  Chameleon,  February,  1908)  Page     90 

MEDIOCRITY 

(from  The  Chameleon,   April,  1908)  Page     92 

THE  SUCCESS  OF  OUR  GREATEST  CAM- 
PAIGN 

(from  The  Chameleon,  August,  1908,  written  from  London)  Page     95 

BUSINESS  ABILITY 

(from  Business  Success)  Page     97 

THE  TITLE  OF  PRESIDENT 

(from  The  Chameleon,  January,  1909)  Page  101 

THE  FIGHT  IS  ON 

(from  The  Chameleon,  October,  1910)  Page  104 

THE   MOST   VALUABLE   THING   IN   THE 
WORLD 

(from  The  Chameleon,  January,  191 1 )  Page   107 

AMBITION 

(from  The  Chameleon,  February,   1911)  Page   no 

THE  SALES  DEPARTMENT  MANAGEMENT 

(address  delivered  before  The  Efficiency  Society,  March   19,  191 2)  Page   112 

FORWARD  AGAIN 

(bulletin  to  the  Sales  Force,  February  2,  1914)  Page   117 

VICTORY  CROWNS  OUR  ARMS 

(from  The  Marching  News,  April  22,  1 9 1 4)  Page   120 


CONTENTS 


THE  CAMPAIGN  IDEA 

(from  the  Jubilee  Nugget,  October  2,  191 5)  Page  123 

A  MILLION  AND  MORE 

(from  the  Jubilee  Nugget,  February  26,  191 6)  Page  125 

ON  THE  DEATH  OF  MR.  SHERWIN 

(from  The  Jubilee  Nugget,  July  1,  1916)  Page   126 

THE  GREAT  ACHIEVEMENT 

(from  "What  Fifty  Years  Have  Wrought")  Page   128 

MY  IDEA  OF  BUSINESS 

(from  "What  Fifty  Years  Have  Wrought")  Page  133 

THE  BIG  THING  IN  LIFE 

(Selected)  Page  134 

CHARACTER 

(from  Business  Success)  Page   136 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTE 


Page  ij8 


This  book  is  dedicated  to  the  Rep- 
resentatives of  The  Sherwin- 
Williams  Organization  who,  in 
my  opinion,  have  never  been 
equalled  as  a  selling  force. 


EDITORIAL 
MESSAGES 


ENTHUSIASM 

[1897] 

J  AVE  you  ever  felt  it?  Of  course  you 
have.  If  you  have  been  with  this 
Company  twenty-four  hours  you  must 
have  experienced  it. 

Well  do  I  remember  my  first  visit  to 
the  Cleveland  plant.  I  had  not  been  long  in  the  place 
before  I  was  greatly  impressed  with  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  whole  establishment — all  of  those  with  whom  I 
came  in  contact  radiated  it.  I  soon  caught  it  myself, 
and  felt  then  and  there  that  nothing  short  of  such  a 
business  would  ever  satisfy  my  ambition. 

Enthusiasm  goes  hand  in  hand  with  prosperity, 
and  who  is  there  that  does  not  rejoice  in  seeing  a 
prosperous  man?  Enthusiasm  emanates  from  con- 
fidence, and  is  the  offspring  of  hope.  It  must  always 
be  genuine  or  it  is  not  enthusiasm  but  poor  hypocrisy, 
easily  detected.  To  be  real  it  must  be  felt,  and  to  feel 
it  one's  mind  must  have  good  cause  for  being  aroused. 
For  instance,  one  cannot  acquire  much  enthusiasm  for 
poor  paint;  but  oh!  what  a  subject  for  real,  genuine, 
hearty  enthusiasm  is  old  SWP.  What  feelings  of  pride, 
what  feelings  of  confidence,  can  it  awaken  among 
those  who  know  it,  among  those  who  sell  it,  and  those 
who  use  it. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 


Enthusiasm  is  a  good  thing.  It's  good  to  be  en- 
thusiastic over  the  goods  you  sell.  It's  good  to  be 
enthusiastic  over  the  firm  you  represent.  It  is  not  a 
bad  thing  to  be  enthusiastic  over  yourself.  But  it  is 
still  greater  if  you  can  instill  enthusiasm  in  others 
for  your  goods,  your  firm,  and  yourself.  Herein  lies 
ability  and  power.  If  you  cannot  be  enthusiastic  over 
your  business  and  your  firm,  drop  it.  Get  into  some- 
thing where  you  can  be  enthusiastic;  your  chances 
for  success  will  be  greater  there. 

Enthusiasm  aids  pluck,  enlivens  perseverance,  and 
lightens  labor.  It  makes  the  heart  light  and  the 
mind  bright. 

Before  I  close  these  wandering  thoughts  I  want  to 
say,  there  is  a  whole  lot  of  enthusiasm  up  here  in 
Canada  over  this  business.  Enthusiasm  in  the  office, 
enthusiasm  in  the  warehouse,  enthusiasm  in  the 
factory,  on  the  road,  in  the  stores  and  in  the  paint 
shops,  on  the  farm  and  in  the  home.  It  helps  lots,  too! 
Let  us  have  more  of  it. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 


THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  ADVERTISING 

IN  BUSINESS 

U897] 

[USINESS,  to  all  who  are  engaged  in  it, 
should  be  interesting.  It  demands  con- 
stant study.  To  be  successful  in  it 
requires  as  much  ability  as  any  other 
calling  in  life.  The  same  characteristics 
that  go  to  make  a  great  lawyer,  a  great  physician  or  a 
great  statesman,  will  make  a  great  man  of  business. 

It  seems  to  me  business  affords  more  and  greater 
opportunities  to  an  industrious  and  persevering  man 
than  any  other  calling.  There  is  practically  no  limit 
to  what  may  be  accomplished  by  well  directed  energy 
and  effort. 

One  of  the  very  greatest  aids  to  any  business  today, 
in  my  opinion,  is  a  thorough  knowledge  of  advertising. 
It  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  interesting  sides  of 
business  to  any  one  who  has  given  it  much  consideration. 
It  is  one,  too,  of  growing  importance.  I  firmly 
believe  the  success  of  all  great  business  enterprises  in 
the  future  will  largely  depend  upon  the  ability  with 
which  they  are  advertised. 

It  behooves  us,  then,  to  give  careful  thought  and 
attention  to  a  subject  that  has  so  great  an  influence  on 
our  business.  If  I  were  experienced  enough  to  give 
advice,  I  would  say  to  every  man  in  business,  give 
first  attention  to  advertising. 

•It  is  not  my  intention  to  write  an  essay  on  advertis- 
ing.    I  have  not  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  subject  to 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 


do  so  if  I  wanted  to.  I  would  recommend,  however,  to 
everyone  who  reads  this,  Charles  Austin  Bates*  book, 
"Good  Advertising." 

You  will  be  surprised  to  find  how  much  of  interest 
and  instruction  can  be  said  on  this  subject. 

What  I  want  to  speak  of  is  the  advertising  that  can 
be  done  for  this  Company  by  everyone  connected 
with  it,  from  the  President  down.  We  are  all  adver- 
tising it  one  way  or  another,  for  good  or  bad.  In  all 
of  our  business  connections  we  impress  those  with 
whom  we  come  in  contact  favorably  or  otherwise.  We 
can  with  care  and  judgment  make  an  impression  that 
will  advertise  to  advantage  this  business. 

As  a  company  we  believe  in  advertising.  We  are 
spending  large  sums  of  money  for  advertising.  Let  us 
all  try  to  make  the  most  of  it.  Let  us  all  endeavor  to 
encourage  the  advertising  spirit  in  all  our  business 
relations.  We  can  all  be  on  the  lookout  for  bright 
ideas  in  advertising  and  when  we  find  them,  send  them 
to  the  Advertising  Department.  Think  up  good 
points  about  our  goods  and  business,  jot  them  down  and 
make  an  "ad"  out  of  them.  It's  good  practice.  We 
have  a  fine  theme  in  which  to  indulge  this  spirit.  There 
are  lots  of  good  points  about  our  goods  that  have  not 
yet  been  expressed.     Think  them  out. 

Let  every  salesman  talk  advertising  to  his  agent  (I 
have  no  doubt  you  do,  but  perhaps  you  could  do  more 
of  it).  Get  him  specially  interested  in  advertising 
paints,  The  Sherwin-Williams  Paints.  Lots  of  them 
would  advertise  if  they  knew  more  about  it  and  the 
benefits  to  be  derived  from  it.     Time  spent  in  seeking 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 


to  enthuse  and  instruct  your  agent  in  advertising  is 
well  and  profitably  spent.  Get  him  interested  in  the 
electrotypes.  This  service  is  one  of  the  very  best 
things  we  have  for  a  live  dealer,  if  he'll  only  use  it. 
It's  good  for  him  and  it's  good  for  us. 

If  you  once  get  him  started  to  use  it  he'll  continue 
it.  Let  him  once  learn  that  by  bringing  customers  to 
his  store  to  buy  The  Sherwin-Williams  Paints  he  gets 
other  trade  from  them;  let  him  once  discover  from  the 
fact  of  his  selling  an  article  of  such  merit  and  so  widely 
known  as  SWP  he  is  increasing,  his  general  trade 
and  the  reputation  of  his  stqre  and  making  new 
trade,  and  we  will  have  a  live,  energetic  agent,  an 
advertising  one. 

I  know  customers  in  our  territory  whom  we  have 
educated  up  to  be  advertisers  and  I  have  been  greatly 
impressed  with  the  benefits  derived  from  it.  They 
write  us  for  suggestions  and  advice  regarding  their 
general  advertising  and  we  give  them  as  much  atten- 
tion, if  not  more,  on  this  subject  as  if  it  were  an  order 
for  paint. 

I  tell  you  if  we  go  at  this  thing  right  we  can  develop 
a  whole  lot  of  good  in  assisting  and  instructing  our 
agents  and  dealers  in  advertising.  They  will  ap- 
preciate it  too,  because  it  will  do  them  good. 

I  believe  also  any  firm  or  company  gets  valuable, 
priceless  advertising  through  the  hearty  good  will  and 
loyalty  of  its  representatives  and  employees.  This 
sentiment  shown  among  all  with  whom  we  come  in 
contact  never  fails  to  make  a  favorable  and  lasting 
impression.     I  know  it  runs  very  strongly  through  our 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 


whole  organization  and  the  benefits  derived  from  it 
are  incalculable.  I  hope  it  will  always  be  as  marked  as 
it  is  now.  I  am  sure  it  will  always  be  deserved.  When 
it  is  not  deserved,  let  us  hope  the  Company  will  cease 
to  exist. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 


THE  STRONGEST  ASSET 

[1899] 

|HEN  we  take  a  position  with  this  Com- 
pany we  are  expected  to  work  for  it 
with  all  our  energy,  our  entire  thought 
and  our  whole  heart.  And  this  is  no 
selfish  demand.  For  when  we  are  work- 
ing our  hardest,  and  doing  our  best  for  this  Company, 
we  are  doing  the  same  for  ourselves.  Our  advancement 
here  is  altogether  dependent  upon  our  own  exertions 
and  what  we  are  able  to  accomplish  for  this  business. 

Merit,  alone,  is  the  passport  for  promotion  here. 
The  history  of  the  business  proves  that.  And  it 
should  be  worth  a  great  deal  to  every  one  of  us  to 
know  and  feel  we  have  an  equal  chance. 

I  must  stop  here  a  few  moments  to  reflect  on  the 
very  delightful  circumstances  of  the  long, uninterrupted, 
happy  connection  of  Mr.  Sherwin  and  Mr.  Williams  in 
this  business.  The  history  of  our  Company  presents 
no  brighter  picture.  It's  good  to  think  they  have  been 
so  long  spared  to  work  side  by  side  so  harmoniously,  so 
unselfishly  and  so  forcibly.  Should  our  business  live 
a  thousand  years,  it  could  not  repay  all  it  owes  to  their 
long,  united,  unrivaled  service.  Their  influence  and 
example  will  be  felt  to  the  end.  Personality  is  strong 
in  business.  No  business  is  worth  much  that  lacks  it. 
Look  back  over  the  period  of  business  depression 
and  stagnation  in  all  commercial  enterprises  that  this 
Company  has  come  through.  Think  of  the  thousands 
and  thousands  that  have  been  swallowed  up, — totally 
ruined  by  financial  misfortunes,  while  we  have  gone 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 


on  and  grown  in  extent,  in  importance  and  in  strength 
— always  building  higher,  always  more  securely. 

Surely  this  business  has  at  all  times  been  guided  and 
surrounded  by  great  wisdom  and  sound  judgment. 
Is  it  any  wonder  we  are  proud  of  our  concern,  and 
proud  of  the  men  who  have  built  it  so  well. 

Follow  the  interesting  history  of  this  business  from 
the  very  beginning  to  this  time — your  path  will  be 
straight  and  upward  and  continually  widening.  There 
are  no  valleys,  no  pitch  holes,  no  turns — a  good,  straight, 
even  road  all  the  way.  May  it  ever  be  thus  should  be 
our  constant  concern. 

Sum  it  all  up,  dwell  on  the  varied  experiences,  ponder 
on  the  numerous  circumstances  that  have  surrounded 
and  attended  this  business  at  all  times,  and  ask  your- 
self, what  is  the  greatest  result  of  it  all.  What  is  it 
that  gives  it  such  enviable  prominence,  such  unrivalled 
power.  I  will  tell  you — Reputation.  That's  the  re- 
ward— the  strongest  and  most  valuable  of  all  assets 
— Reputation. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 


DO  IT  NOW 

[1899] 

J  HAVE  long  been  possessed  of  a  desire 
to  see  a  sign  hung  in  a  prominent  place 
in  all  of  our  offices  with  these  words 
in  large  letters  on  it: 
DO  IT  NOW 
We  are  all  more  prone  to  put  off  until  tomorrow 
what  might  be  done  today  than  we  are  to  fulfill  that 
wise  precept,  "Do  not  put  off  until  tomorrow  what  can 
be  done  today."  "Procrastination  is  the  thief  of 
time"  is  a  true  saying,  but  its  significance  is  not  always 
fully  realized.  There  is  only  one  way  for  busy  persons 
to  keep  up  with  their  work  —  Do  it  now;  do  it  now. 
Don't  put  it  off  an  instant.  Delay  is  fatal.  One 
postponement  always  leads  to  another. 

Some  days  the  work  on  many  of  the  desks  in  our 
offices  piles  up  to  such  an  extent  it  seems  almost 
impossible  to  dispatch  it  with  such  promptness  as 
we  aim  at.  Some  days  a  great  many  difficult  and 
trying  matters  come  up  for  immediate  attention. 
At  such  times  one  is  almost  overwhelmed  with  the  size 
of  the  task  before  him  and  is  inclined  to  turn  from  it  and 
put  it  off  for  another  time.  Don't  do  it.  Wade  into 
it.  Take  up  the  first  thing  that  lies  in  front  of  you. 
Never  mind  if  it's  the  most  difficult — it's  got  to  be 
done.  Tackle  it  now.  Get  rid  of  it  and  take  up  the 
next.  Go  straight  through  the  pile.  Clean  up  the 
desk.  It's  the  only  way  to  keep  abreast  of  your  work 
and  be  ready  for  more. 

Such   practice   will   soon   develop   in   you   a   great 


io EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

capacity  for  work,  and  the  difference  between  a  great 
man  of  business  and  an  ordinary  one  is  largely  a  matter 
of  capacity  for  work.  No  great  achievements  are  ever 
accomplished  apart  from  work ;  apart  from  the  sacrifice 
of  ease  and  self-indulgence.  Acquire  the  habit  of  doing 
things  at  once.     Be  prompt.     Be  thorough. 

One  of  the  best  mottoes  for  a  business  man  is  just 
this  simple  one — Do  it  now.  I  can  testify  to  its  help- 
fulness. So  accustomed  have  I  become  to  it  that 
whenever  I  am  tempted  to  put  off  my  work  I  seem  to 
hear  the  sound  of  these  words  ringing  in  my  ears,  "Do 
it  now,  do  it  now,  do  it  now." 

If  you  have  any  work  left  undone,  do  it  now.  If 
you  have  any  work,  or  any  plan  you're  thinking  about, 
do  it  now.  Make  a  beginning.  More  good  thoughts 
and  ideas  perish  than  ever  see  the  light  of  day,  just  for 
the  want  of  action. 

Goethe  expresses  it  this  way: 

"For  indecision  brings  its  own  delays, 
And  days  are  lost  lamenting  o'er  lost  days. 
Are  you  in  earnest  ?     Seize  this  very  minute. 
What  you  can  do,  or  dream  you  can,  begin  it. 
Boldness  has  genius,  power  and  magic  in  it. 
Only  engage,  and  then  the  mind  grows  heated — 
Begin,  and  then  the  work  will  be  completed." 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES i_i 

WHAT  DO  YOU  WANT  TO  BE" 

[i8q91 

|HAT  a  man  wants  most  to  be,  he  can  be. 
I  believe  that  statement  is  true.  Analyze 
it  carefully  and  you'll  find  it's  not  so 
unreasonable  as  it  appears. 

I  suppose  there  never  was  a  man 
without  ambition  enough  to  want  to  be  a  success.  When 
he  fails  to  accomplish  this  desire  it  is  because  he  really 
wanted  to  be  something  else  more. 

Take  a  man  who  wants  to  be  a  success  in  business. 
If  he  lacks  industry,  or  wastes  his  time,  that  is  evidence 
that  he  really  wants  most  to  be  a  man  of  leisure  and  ease. 

Perhaps  he  devotes  a  great  deal  of  his  time  to  social 
matters,  and  so  it  is  apparent  he  really  wants  most  to 
be  a  society  man;  or  perhaps  it's  speculation  that  at- 
tracts him  most  and  he  becomes  a  gambler,  or  it  may 
be  sport,  and  so  he  turns  out  a  sport.  So  it  goes.  What 
his  inclinations  show  he  most  wanted  to  be  he  becomes. 

What  you  want  you  must  pay  for.  If  you  want 
success  you  must  pay  the  price. 

It  can't  be  gained  in  any  other  way.  The  price  is 
concentration.  Concentration  is,  in  reality,  the  sur- 
rendering of  one's  self  to  a  definite  aim — the  outpouring 
of  all  one's  energies  and  powers  for  the  attainment  of 
one  great  object.  It  means  you  must  sacrifice  your- 
self. You  must  throw  your  whole  body  and  soul  into 
your  work.  You  must  be  blind  to  everything  excepting 
your  one  great  aim.  That's  the  price,  and  few  there 
are  willing  to  pay  it. 


ia EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

If  you  want  a  great  property  you  must  pay  a  great 
price  for  it.  If  you  want  a  great  reputation  you  must 
pay  a  great  price  for  it.  If  you  want  great  success  you 
must  pay  a  great  price. 

If  you're  not  a  success  don't  blame  the  times  you 
live  in,  don't  blame  the  place  you  occupy,  don't  blame 
the  circumstances  you're  surrounded  with — lay  the 
blame  where  it  belongs — to  yourself. 

The  words  of  one  of  New  York's  successful  business 
men  are  true.  "Not  in  time,  place  or  circumstance 
but  in  the  man  lies  success." 

Find  out  what  you  want  to  be  and  be  it. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 13 

MEN  AND  PROMOTIONS 

[1899] 

[E  want  men  who  recognize  that  real  suc- 
cess comes  only  from  the  sweat  of  the 
brow;  from  keeping  everlastingly  at  it. 
We  want  men  who  are  in  love  with  their 
work  and  have  a  resistless  ambition  to 

be  somebody,  and  do  something  better  than  it's  ever 

been  done  before. 

With  such  forces  as  these  working  behind  such  a  busi- 
ness as  ours,  who  dares  put  a  limit  to  our  achievements  ? 

Every  man  connected  with  this  Company  has  a 
better  chance  today  than  ever  for  advancing  his  wel- 
fare if  he  makes  the  most  of  his  opportunities.  It  de- 
pends upon  himself,  entirely.  If  it's  in  you,  there's  a 
chance  to  bring  it  out.  You  must  bring  it  out.  If  it's 
not  in  you,  your  chances  are  very  likely  better  else- 
where. For  this  business  must  go  forward.  If  you're 
not  prepared  to  go  forward  with  it  and  help  along  the 
progress,  there  is  no  place  for  you  here. 

The  policy  of  our  Company  has  always  been,  and  is 
today,  to  promote  to  new  positions,  as  they  are  opened 
up,  from  the  ranks  of  those  already  connected  with  the 
business,  when  we  can  find  among  them  the  ability  to 
fill  such  positions.  When  we  can't  find  the  ability 
within  we  must  go  outside.  The  ability  is  what  we 
look  for  most.   The  Company's  interest  must  not  suffer. 

The  way  to  get  promotion  is  to  be  prepared  for  it. 
The  way  to  prepare  for  it  is  to  work  with  all  your  might 
in  your  present  position  and  make  yourself  invaluable 


14 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

to  the  Company.  Never  think  that  good  service  of  any 
kind  for  this  business  goes  unheeded.  Our  search  for, 
and  need  of,  good  men  is  too  keen  to  permit  it. 

Don't  be  discouraged,  or  become  too  impatient. 
There  are  many  opportunities  ahead.  You  are  with  a 
good  company,  one  that's  progressive,  one  that's  going 
ahead.  That's  worth  something  in  itself.  Make  the 
most  of  yourself  and  you'll  be  made  the  most  of,  every 
time.     Get  ready  for  the  advance. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 15 

"BACKBONE" 

[1899] 

|NE  of  the  most  essential  requirements  of 
a  successful  business  man  is  backbone. 
Backbone  is  what  enables  a  man  to 
stand  up  and  fight,  to  fight  for  his 
opinions,  principles  and  rights. 

A  man  with  plenty  of  backbone  stands  erect.  He  is 
immovable.  Let  him  once  embark  on  an  undertaking 
and  he  will  carry  it  through  to  a  successful  conclusion 
in  face  of  all  obstacles  and  in  spite  of  all  opposition. 
He  is  not  to  be  turned  from  his  purpose.  He  cannot 
be  swayed.  He  knows  how  to  fight.  He  stands  up 
and  makes  his  way  against  all  odds.  He  never  shrinks 
and  is  most  erect  when  hardest  pressed. 

Backbone  is  a  characteristic  of  The  Sherwin-Williams 
Company.  It  fears  nothing.  Its  policy  is  its  own. 
It  knows  its  business  and  transacts  business  on  busi- 
ness principles  and  in  no  other  way. 

Our  Company  is  not  an  imitator,  but  an  originator. 

It  is  not  a  follower,  but  a  leader. 

It  is  influenced  by  conditions  only — not  by  the 
actions  of  others.  It  is  not  afraid  to  act  when  it  is 
right.     It  waits  for  no  one. 

It  likes  opposition.  It  likes  a  fight.  The  stronger 
the  opposition  and  the  hotter  the  fight,  the  better  it 
likes  it.     It  goes  in  to  win  and  has  never  been  beaten. 

Backbone  is  what  we  look  for  in  our  representatives. 
They  are  the  very  backbone  of  our  business.  They  are 
the  ones  who  interpret  the  policy  of  our  Company  and 
always  with  intelligence,  energy  and  firmness. 


i6 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

Right  now  you  want  to  stiffen  up  your  backbone  and 
show  that  you  are  equal  to  all  conditions,  that  you  lie 
down  for  no  man. 

The  Company  had  the  backbone  to  meet  changed 
conditions  with  good  business  sense.  It  did  so  without 
consulting  anyone.  It  did  not  hesitate,  because  it  had 
confidence  in  the  ability  of  its  men  to  uphold  its  policy. 
And  it  has  not  been  disappointed. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 17 

NEW  YEAR'S  REFLECTIONS'* 

[1900] 

jHE  New  Year  affords  a  good  opportunity 
for  every  individual,  whether  serious 
or  otherwise,  to  call  a  halt  amid  the 
wild  rush  and  whirl  of  the  busy  world, 
for  sober,  earnest  reflection. 

It's  an  appropriate  occasion  to  take  an  inventory, 
not  only  of  one's  material  possessions,  but  also  of  one's 
immaterial  possessions,  those  qualifications  which  have 
a  higher  value  than  the  greatest  material  wealth.  It's 
of  infinitely  greater  importance  that  our  inventory 
should  show  the  balance  to  be  on  the  right  side  in  the 
latter  case  than  in  the  former. 

We  have  had  one  more  year  of  experience,  one  more 
year  of  opportunity.  What  have  we  done  with  it? 
Which  way  have  we  grown — up  or  down  ?  It's  certain 
we  have  grown  one  way  or  the  other.  Which  has  it 
been?  Be  honest  about  it.  It's  important  that  you 
should  know.  Reflect  upon  it  before  you  enter  on 
another  year,  for  each  year  has  its  influence  on  the 
next.  Face  the  situation  squarely  now,  and  decide  at 
once  which  way  you  shall  grow  in  the  year  before  you 
— forward  or  backward.  Will  you  advance  on  the 
road  of  life,  of  success,  or  will  you  fall  back  ?  Think 
about  it.     You  have  the  power  to  do  which  you  choose. 

Very  likely  our  inventory,  if  carefully  taken,  will 
show  we  have  grown  up  in  some  ways  and  down  in 
others.  Some  accounts  will  show  a  gain,  some  a  loss. 
Then  let  us  learn  the  lesson  which  the  statement  shows, 


18 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

and  take  precaution  to  strengthen  the  weak  sides  and 
fortify  still  further  the  strong  ones.  That's  the  purpose 
of  an  inventory. 

Life  is  a  struggle.  It's  a  continual  warfare  from 
start  to  finish.  The  strife  is  constant.  A  man  needs 
to  be  a  fighter,  a  bold,  fearless  fighter,  and  a  hard 
hitter.  He  must  develop  a  strong  arm,  an  iron  will 
and  a  level  head,  or  he'll  go  down  in  the  contest.  He 
must  drill  himself  constantly,  every  day.  He  must 
keep  his  uniform  and  armour  ever  bright,  ever  ready. 
There's  danger  lurking  on  every  side,  and  at  the  most 
unsuspecting  moment  you  may  be  called  upon  to  de- 
fend yourself.  Be  ready.  Every  defeat  is  a  handicap, 
every  victory  an  advantage. 

The  future  of  our  Company  depends  upon  the 
individuals  working  for  it.  Our  interests  are  all 
bound  up  together.  The  actions  of  each  one  have  an 
influence  on  the  whole.  We  can't  escape  this  re- 
sponsibility. It's  not  on  the  machinery,  or  the  prod- 
uct which  it  turns  out  that  our  success  depends — but 
upon  our  people — the  "living  machinery."  Therein 
lies  our  making  or  unmaking.  The  Company  will 
grow  up  or  down,  will  go  forward  or  backward,  just  as 
the  individuals  about  it  incline. 

Is  it  not  important,  then,  that  we  should  reflect  on 
the  threshold  of  another  year,  and  be  sure  that  our 
influence  is  growing  in  the  right  direction  ? 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 19 

ORGANIZE  YOUR  TERRITORIES 

[1900] 

HERE  is  a  great  difference  in  the  way 
salesmen  work  their  territories.  The 
same  kind  of  difference  that  exists  be- 
tween a  successful  and  an  unsuccessful 
business  man. 

One  plods  along  in  a  slipshod,  shiftless  kind  of  way — 
he  may  be  working  hard  enough,  but  not  intelligently, 
not  persistently,  and,  therefore,  not  effectively.  He 
lacks  system  and  a  definite  aim.  He  wanders  and 
gropes  and  never  knows  quite  where  he  is  at.  He  is 
never  sure  where  he  should  go  and  what  he  should  do 
next,  and  through  want  of  decision  procrastinates, 
while  precious  time  with  its  many  opportunities  slips 
away.  Such  a  man  naturally  is  easily  discouraged  and 
failing  to  master  the  situation,  is  knocked  out. 

The  other  man — the  successful  one — is  master  of  his 
work.  He  has  a  plan  and  works  to  it.  He  has  an  aim, 
fixed  high,  and  walks  straight  to  it.  You  can't  hold 
him  back:  he  gets  what  he  goes  after — perhaps  not 
the  first  time,  or  the  second  time,  or  the  third  time,  but 
he  gets  it  in  the  end.  That's  the  point — he  gets  it — 
he's  a  winner.     You  can't  keep  him  from  success. 

The  successful  salesman  is  more  than  a  salesman. 
Selling  is  not  the  whole  thing  by  any  means.  There's 
organizing  and  managing  to  be  done.  A  territory 
must  not  only  be  worked,  but  managed.  There  are 
many  salesmen  who  can  sell  but  can't  organize,  and 
they  never  reach  the  highest  success. 


20 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

Organize  your  territories,  plan  your  work,  operate 
on  a  system.  Have  an  aim  and  let  nothing  keep  you 
from  reaching  it.  A  salesman  is  responsible  for  his 
whole  territory — not  alone  for  the  trade  that  we  now 
have  there,  but  more  important  still  is  the  trade  we 
haven't.  The  towns  that  can't  be  visited  should  be 
worked  in  some  other  way.  They  should  be  got  into 
line  for  future  operations.  This  can  now  be  attended 
to  under  the  salesman's  directions  through  our  Promot- 
ing Department. 

This  work  should  be  systematized.  The  salesman 
should  do  it.  The  work  of  the  town  as  well  as  the  terri- 
tory should  be  organized,  so  that  every  possible  cus- 
tomer is  reached  in  some  way,  by  personal  visits,  cor- 
respondence, advertising  matter,  or  by  the  agent.  If 
you  can't  do  it,  cause  it  to  be  done — that's  organizing. 

There  are  the  painters,  the  architects,  the  property 
owners,  the  large  structures;  all  these  should  be 
brought  into  line  and  the  salesman  is  the  man  to  see 
that  it  is  done. 

Pull  all  the  wires,  set  in  motion  all  of  our  system  on 
your  work  and  you'll  sweep  the  territory  clean.  There 
is  no  finer  organization  than  ours  in  existence,  and 
none  that  can  equal  it  in  our  line  of  business.  The 
system  is  right — but  it  must  be  applied  right.  Re- 
member that. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 


21 


QUALITY 

I1901J 

E  believe  that  the  way  to  succeed  in  the 
paint  business  is  to  give  the  very  highest 
quality  and  sell  it  just  as  cheaply  as  we 
can.  If  the  goods  were  not  as  good  as 
they  are  we  never  could  do  the  adver- 
tising that  we  do.  In  considering  the  price  don't 
forget  to  take  into  consideration  the  quality  of  the 
goods.  You  come  here  each  year  and  you  impress  on 
us  the  subject  of  price.  When  you  talk  of  goods  don't 
forget  to  look  into  the  quality,  because  if  the  quality 
were  not  there  we  would  not  be  asking  the  price  that 
we  do.  I  hope  during  the  coming  year  you  will  re- 
member that  and  not  weaken.  Show  up  the  goods 
and  hold  up  the  price. 


22 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

"PERSEVERANCE  IN  THE  FACE  OF 

DISCOURAGEMENT' 

[1902] 

ITEADFASTNESS   in  the   face  of  dis- 
couragement is  a  magnificent  quality. 

The  man  with  ideas  or  a  purpose  must 
possess  it,  or  his  ideas  or  purpose  will 
amount  to  nothing. 

New  things  are  generally  opposed,  and  a  man  of 
purpose  always  meets  opposition. 

Foresight  and  purpose,  to  be  effective,  require  to  be 
backed  by  action  and  determination. 

If  you  believe  you  are  right,  in  anything,  go  straight 
ahead.  Don't  be  turned  from  your  course  by  adverse 
criticism,  don't  be  discouraged  by  opposition — stick 
to  it  through  thick  and  thin. 

You'll  find  many  people  ready  to  discredit  your  ideas 
and  dash  cold  water  on  your  enthusiasm,  but  don't 
let  that  dampen  your  ardor  or  slacken  your  effort,  but 
rather  let  it  act  as  an  incentive  to  greater  exertions,  let 
it  add  strength  to  your  determination  to  make  good 
your  endeavor,  no  matter  what  the  opposition.  Set 
your  teeth  still  more  firm,  keep  your  eye  fixed  on  your 
aim  and  let  nothing  keep  you  from  it. 

The  world  is  full  of  people  who  drift  along  rudderless, 
turned  this  way  and  that  by  the  influence  of  their  sur- 
roundings, tossed  hopelessly  around  by  conflicting 
opinions,  entirely  lacking  stability  or  ballast.  Such 
people  never  accomplish  anything. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 23 

It's  the  man  with  an  aim,  a  plan,  a  purpose,  directed 
by  sound  judgment  and  worked  out  with  implicit  con- 
fidence and  indomitable  perseverance  that  goes  out 
and  mows  down  the  world  and  compels  things  to  come 
his  way.     Get  out  and  mow. 


24 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

A   PAYING  COMBINATION 

[1902] 

I HIS  is  an  age  of  combinations  and  con- 
solidations. 

The  principle  of  combining  for  larger 
results  is  sound.     It's  the  same  idea  as  is 
expressed   in   the   old   familiar   saying, 
"Two  heads  are  better  than  one." 

The  strongest  combination  is  a  combination  of  brains. 
There  is  greater  advantage  in  bringing  together  ability 
and  concentrating  it  all  on  one  object  than  there  is  in 
combining  mere  business.  Brains  count  for  more  than 
capital.  A  combination  of  ability  beats  a  combina- 
tion of  money  all  to  pieces.  Money  without  ability 
cuts  little  figure.  Capital  needs  ability.  Ability  can 
take  care  of  itself. 

We  believe  in,  and  are  working  for  a  combination  of 
ability.  We  want  to  combine  all  the  Brains  and  all 
the  energy  that  exist  in  our  entire  organization,  which 
includes,  besides  our  own  staff,  our  agents  and  their 
staffs.  We  want  to  bring  together  this  great  and 
powerful  force  and  apply  it  to  the  extension  and  im- 
provement of  the  business  of  all. 

We  believe  we  can  do  it.  We're  working  to  it 
through  The  SWP.  Let  everyone  do  his  share  by 
helping  with  suggestions  and  ideas  and  also  adopting 
the  ideas  and  suggestions  offered  by  others,  and  the 
combination  will  work.     All  will  benefit  by  it. 

We  know  we  can  help  our  agents  and  we  know  you 
can  help  us.  We  ought,  therefore,  to  get  together 
closer  than  ever  before. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 25 

It's  our  aim  to  concentrate  more  and  more  all  our 
efforts  on  one  agent  in  a  district,  as  we  believe  we  can 
get  better  results  than  by  dividing  it.  We  feel  also 
that  our  agents  in  return  will  make  no  mistake  in  con- 
centrating all  their  energy  on  one  line  instead  of  divid- 
ing it.  By  complete  co-operation  we  can  both  get 
better  results. 

Our  goods  are  superior,  our  methods  far  in  advance 
of  any  others  yet  adopted.  We  supply  the  two  es- 
sentials to  business  success — good  goods  and  good 
methods.  In  addition,  we  offer  you  the  advantage  of 
sharing  in  a  combination  of  ability  drawn  from  our 
own  staff  and  thousands  of  the  brightest  paint  dealers 
in  the  world. 

It's  a  combination  that  has  real  force  in  it.  The 
agent  who  is  sincerely  anxious  to  increase  his  business 
can  get  help  from  it  by  working  in  harmony  with  it 
and  adopting  its  methods. 

The  painting  season  is  at  hand.  Make  ready  for  it. 
Go  at  it  in  earnest.  In  it  there  are  great  possibilities, 
especially  in  this  year  of  plenty.  You  will  not  make 
the  most  of  it  unless  you  do  more  than  ever  before. 
The  largest  share  in  the  paint  trade  in  your  town  ought 
to  be  done  by  you.  You  have  in  our  goods  the  best 
paints  ever  made,  you  have  in  our  methods  the 
most  effective  system  ever  devised  for  selling  them. 
Use  them. 

Throw  into  your  work  all  the  force  and  ability  you 
are  capable  of  and  you'll  get  returns  just  as  sure  as  the 
sun  rises  and  sets. 


26 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

"BUSINESS" 

[1902] 

jUSINESS  is  the  world's  work — it's  man's 
chief  occupation.  The  field  is  as  broad 
and  extensive  as  the  universe  itself  and 
in  it  the  great  mass  of  toilers  struggle 
for  supremacy.  The  conflict  is  fierce 
and  merciless  and  none  can  hope  for  victory  without 
great  effort,  great  skill,  and  great  sacrifice. 

Notwithstanding  all  its  intricate  details,  business 
can  be  reduced  to  two  simple  operations — buying  and 
selling.  It  matters  not  whether  the  business  be  pro- 
fessional, industrial,  mercantile  or  financial,  it's  all 
barter — buying  and  selling  something  for  gain.  The 
principles  that  insure  success  are  the  same  in  all  cases. 

One  great  principle  underlies  all  others,  and  that  is 
value.  It  governs  all  really  successful  enterprises. 
It  is  the  root  of  business  success,  and  affects  alike  the 
two  great  operations  of  buying  and  selling. 

The  man  who  can  get  the  most  (buying)  and  give 
the  most  (selling)  for  a  dollar  is  a  business  genius, 
and  has  learned  the  secret  of  business  success.  The 
rest  entirely  depends  upon  his  capacity  for  work  and 
his  ability  to  organize. 

The  rock  that  most  men  are  wrecked  on  is  trying  to 
get  all  they  can  and  give  as  little  as  they  can  for  a 
dollar — immediate  gain.  That  idea  won't  work.  The 
principle  of  buying  low  and  selling  high  is  all  wrong. 
No  large  business  was  ever  built  up  on  such  a  basis. 
The  only  safe  foundation  is  value.  The  people  trade 
where  they  get  the  most  for  their  money. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 27 

Do  not  confuse  value  with  low  price.  Low  priced 
things  are  usually  poor  value — they  are  usually  dear — 
and  the  experienced,  intelligent  buyer  knows  it.  A 
low  price  most  frequently  arouses  suspicion  and  mis- 
trust. A  high  price  is  usually  backed  by  merit  and 
creates  confidence. 

Intelligent  buyers,  and  they  are  in  the  majority,  do 
not  look  as  much  at  the  price  as  they  do  at  what  they 
get  for  their  money — it's  value  they  want.  And  this  is 
truer  today  than  ever  before,  for  prosperity  has  fur- 
nished the  means  to  buy  best  quality  goods,  and  they 
are  invariably  the  most  economical. 

This  is  the  day  of  better  things.  This  is  the  day  for 
the  man  of  high  quality.  The  people  more  and  more 
demand  better  grades — not  "cheaper."  The  pro- 
gressive man  recognizes  this  and  acts  upon  it. 

Don't  be  known  as  a  "Cheap  John."  There's  no 
profit  or  glory  in  such  a  reputation.  Let  your  aim  be 
to  establish  a  reputation  for  the  best  value. 

Be  a  high  grade  man.  Keep  the  best  store,  keep  the 
best  goods,  employ  the  best  clerks,  and  give  the  best 
value.  You  will  attract  the  best  customers  and  do 
the  best  trade  and  make  the  most  money.  That's  as 
sure  as  daylight. 


28 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

THE  LARGEST  AND  BEST 

IN  THE  WORLD 

[1902] 

J  HERE  can  be  only  one  largest,  there  can 
be  only  one  best  in  any  line  of  business 
or  in  any  line  of  work.  It  should  be  the 
aim  of  every  concern  and  every  in- 
dividual   to    reach    that    exalted    and 

enviable  position. 
The  "greatest  and  best"  in  the  world  signifies  much. 

It  stands  for  merit  and  superiority.     It  indicates  great 

enterprise,  great  energy,  and  great  perseverance.    It's 

a  proud  position,  well  worth  the  struggle. 

In  the  paint  trade  of  the  world  The  Sherwin-Williams 
Company  from  the  very  beginning  had  an  eye  on  the 
prize  at  the  top.  We  entered  the  lists  to  win.  We 
trained  for  first  place.  We  trained  patiently,  carefully, 
thoroughly,  with  great  persistence.  Two  things  we 
kept  ever  before  us,  quality  and  push — good  goods  and 
good  methods.  Nothing  could  turn  us  from  these  two 
things.  Making  the  goods  good  and  pushing  them 
with  all  our  might  and  main,  have  become  the  very 
motive  power  of  our  great  organization. 

These  simple  principles,  intelligently  worked  out, 
have  won  us  our  supremacy.  They  have  placed  us  at 
the  top  and  have  entitled  us  to  style  ourselves  the 
largest  and  best  paint  and  varnish  makers  in  the 
world — by  far. 

Our  field  is  not  confined  to  any  locality,  any  state, 
any  country,  or  any  continent — it's  world  wide.     Our 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 29 

goods  are  known  as  well  on  the  Atlantic  as  on  the 
Pacific  Coast.  They  are  as  popular  in  all  of  Canada 
as  in  the  United  States.  They  are  sold  and  used  with 
as  much  satisfaction  in  England,  Ireland,  Continental 
Europe,  India,  the  Australasian  colonies,  South  Africa, 
and  on  the  continent  of  South  America,  as  they 
are  at  home. 

Nor  are  our  efforts  limited  to  any  particular  class  of 
goods.  We  are  as  supreme  in  the  sale  of  Railway 
Paints,  Marine  Paints  and  paints  for  Carriage  Build- 
ers' and  Manufacturers'  uses  as  we  are  in  the  sale  of 
house  paints.  We  make  paints  specially  adapted  for 
all  purposes  and  we  make  them  of  the  highest  grade 
and  of  the  best  value  for  all. 

Our  position  as  leaders  in  the  paint  trade  of  the 
world  means  a  great  deal  to  our  agents  as  well  as  to 
ourselves.  By  reason  of  our  immense  "turn  over" 
we  are  able  to  provide  facilities  for  manufacturing  on  a 
large  scale  that  insure  the  best  possible  results  in 
quality  and  economy. 

We  are  able  to  manufacture  most  of  our  important 
raw  materials;  we  are  able  to  distribute  our  products 
economically  and  promptly  to  all  parts  of  the  world ; 
we  are  able  to  attract  and  employ  the  highest  ability 
in  all  departments,  making  strong  the  greatest  factor 
in  any  business — the  great  human  force;  we  are  able 
to  provide  methods  for  marketing  our  products  that 
are  unequaled — in  a  word,  we  are  able  to  give  the 
best  paint  value  and  the  best  selling  value  in  the 
paint  world. 

We  have  made  our  reputation  and  attained  our  posi- 


3o EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

tion  by  the  practice  of  the  principles  of  quality  and 
push,  and  we  expect  in  the  future  to  far  outstrip  the 
past  by  adhering  to  them.  We  aim  always  to  be  the 
biggest  by  being  the  best. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 31 

COURAGE 

jT  is  quite  generally  and  well  understood 
that  courage  is  one  of  the  great  qualities 
necessary  to  success  in  warfare. 

It  is  not  so  generally  appreciated,  but 
quite  as  true,  that  courage  is  just  as 
necessary  to  success  in  business. 

Courage  to  dare  to  step  aside  from  the  beaten 

path  and  blaze  for  one's  self  a  new  trail, 
Courage  to  adhere  to  what  one  believes  to  be 

right  in  the  face  of  opposition, 
Courage  to  keep  on  hopefully  and  perseveringly 

when  unfavorable  conditions  confront  you, 
Courage  to  cheerfully  stand  the  daily  grind  at  the 

desk,  at  the  machine  or  in  the  field, 
Courage  to  meet  the  unfriendly  and  unkind 

criticisms  of  those  who  misjudge  you, 
Courage  to  meet  the  temptations  that  beset  all 

those  who  aim  to  win  by  merit  alone, 
Courage  to  listen  to  and  follow  the  dictates  of 

conscience, 
Courage  to  stand  success  as  well  as  failure, — 
It  is  a  great,  a  magnificent  quality,  courage. 

We  need  it  always  to  meet  and  overcome  the  diffi- 
culties of  life  but  never  so  much  as  now  when  the 
perplexities  of  a  new  and  difficult  condition  press 
upon  us. 

We  have  dared  in  this  organization  of  ours  to  attempt 
manfully  and  courageously  and  with  enterprise  to  do 


32 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

what  we  believe  to  be  right  and  best,  to  keep  our  busi- 
ness going  under  present  difficulties.  We  believe  in 
doing  so  we  are  performing  a  duty  we  owe  to  others  as 
well  as  to  ourselves.  We  have  met  the  usual  criticisms, 
the  usual  opposition,  and  the  usual  difficulties  in- 
separable from  all  new  undertakings,  but  we  have  also 
met  with  most  generous  approval.  And  I  simply  wish 
to  say  that  I  hope  none  of  us  who  are  engaged  in  this 
worthy  effort  to  do  our  part  well  will  be  in  any  way 
discouraged  by  any  of  the  opposition  or  difficulties  we 
are  bound  to  meet  with. 

On  the  other  hand,  let  us  take  encouragement  from 
the  splendid  results  thus  far  accomplished  and  let  us 
continue  to  apply  ourselves  each  to  his  or  her  own 
individual  task  with  new  energy,  with  greater  de- 
termination, and  with  increased  enthusiasm,  believing 
in  our  purpose,  in  our  work,  in  our  company,  in  our 
country,  and  in  ourselves. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 33 

PLAN  YOUR  WORK  AND  WORK 

YOUR  PLAN 

I1903] 

CAME  across  this  phrase  somewhere  a 
short  time  ago,  and  was  greatly  attracted 
by  it.  It's  our  idea  exactly  of  the  way 
business  operations  should  be  conducted. 

First,  an  intelligent,  clearly  defined 
plan  is  necessary,  and  then,  most  important  of  all,  it's 
got  to  be  worked — worked  to  a  finish.  Many  a  man 
is  capable  of  laying  out  an  excellent  plan,  or  a  mag- 
nificent system,  but  when  it  comes  to  executing  it,  he 
is  an  utter  failure.  It's  doubtless  true  that  there  are 
more  planners  than  workers  in  the  world — more  dream- 
ers than  hustlers. 

It's  demanded  of  the  successful  in  business  affairs 
that  they  shall  possess  a  head  that  can  contrive,  a 
tongue  that  can  persuade,  and  an  arm  that  can  execute. 
And  these  most  desirable,  most  necessary  qualifications 
can  be  acquired  by  the  practice  of  meditation,  study, 
and  work.  The  great  thing  necessary  to  apply  to  your 
meditation,  to  your  study,  and  to  your  work,  to  make 
them  effective,  is  concentration — concentration  of 
thought  and  concentration  of  action. 

We  fail,  I  think,  to  realize,  or  to  remember,  the  tre- 
mendous power  of  concentration  in  work.  We  are 
inclined  always  to  wander  in  our  thoughts  and  to 
waver  in  our  actions — it's  the  natural  trend  of  our 
restless  and  uneasy  beings.    Our  ability  to  overcome 


34 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

such  inclinations  greatly  influences  the  extent  of 
our  success. 

Concentration  simply  means  doing  what  we  do  with 
all  our  might.  It  means  putting  effort  into  every- 
thing, working  with  zeal  and  intensity — not  slothfully 
and  dreamily,  but  with  snap  and  vim.  In  thinking,  in 
talking,  in  writing,  in  working,  our  watchword  should 
be  concentrate,  concentrate.  It's  surely  not  an  easy 
thing;  it  requires  a  very  determined  and  persistent 
effort  of  the  will,  but  by  practice  it  will  become  a  habit, 
the  power  of  which  is  tremendous. 

Our  plans  for  this  most  promising  spring,  the  harvest 
time  of  our  business,  have  been  conceived  and  com- 
pleted by  the  best  thought  and  the  most  careful  prep- 
aration. For  their  successful  execution  we  are  now 
dependent  upon  our  staff  at  home,  our  force  in  the 
field,  and  our  agents  in  the  stores.  The  plans  we 
believe  are  good,  and  we  call  upon  all,  at  this  propitious 
time,  to  put  forth  their  best  efforts  and  help  us  mark 
up  such  records  as  will  eclipse  the  most  illustrious  of 
our  past  achievements. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 35 

THE  WAY  TO  GET  BUSINESS  IS  TO 

GO  AFTER  IT 

[1903] 

[T'S  a  good  time  now  to  apply  this  motto 
to  your  business  with  all  the  vigor  you 
can  command. 

There's  lots  of  trade  lurking  around, 
lots  of  people  contemplating  painting 
and  improving  their  property  this  spring.  Go  after 
them.  Don't  wait  for  them  to  come  to  you,  there's  too 
much  risk  in  it.  Others  are  keen  for  business.  Get 
there  early.  Get  there  first.  Your  success  depends 
upon  it. 

As  an  agent  for  this  Company  you  are  better  equipped 
to  go  after  and  get  trade  than  your  competitor.  It'll 
pay  you  better  to  put  effort  into  your  work  than  it'll 
pay  him,  for  the  proposition  you  have  to  offer  the  paint 
consumer  is  the  best  that  has  ever  been  offered.  But 
it's  got  to  be  pressed  home,  it's  got  to  be  placed  before 
him  with  intelligence,  force  and  persistency.  It's  up 
to  you  to  do  this  now. 

The  finest  products  and  the  most  elaborate  and  per- 
fect system  are  of  no  avail  unless  backed  by  the  tireless 
force  of  your  own  energy.  Human  effort  counts  for 
more  than  all  else  in  business  success.  The  product  and 
the  system  are  but  instruments  placed  in  your  hands  to 
be  worked.  The  skill  and  industry  with  which  you 
use  them  alone  determines  your  superiority  and  your 
success.  And  so  it  is  in  all  human  affairs,  opportunity 
provides   the   instruments,   but   we,   ourselves,   must 


36 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

learn  to  use  them.  And  it's  only  by  persistent  practice 
and  constant  training  that  we  become  skilful  and 
proficient  in  handling  them.  It's  the  man  who  uses 
his  instruments  that  gets  results.  It's  the  agent  who 
uses  our  system  that  wins  success. 

So  let  it  be  your  determination  this  promising  spring 
to  make  the  very  most  of  every  opportunity  that 
comes  before  you.  Apply  to  your  business  every  aid 
that  offers,  work  your  advantages  to  the  limit,  and 
you  cannot  fail  to  make  progress  along  the  high  road 
to  success. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 37 

GET  OUT  AND  HUSTLE 

[1903] 

[HAT'S  the  way  to  get  business,  that's  the 
way  to  build  up  trade  and  overcome 
competition.  "Keep  everlastingly  at  it" 
is  a  motto  that  every  ambitious  business 
man  should  adopt  and  practice.     Genius 

is  all  right,  but  there's  mighty  little  of  it  in  this  world ; 

plain  ordinary  "hustling"  is  what  counts  in  the  struggle 

for  business  supremacy. 

The  laurel  wreath  of  trade  is  won  by  the  man  with 
the  capacity  to  do  things  and  keep  on  doing  them — 
the  man  of  ideas,  purpose  and  action. 

No  one  with  good  health  and  ambition  should 
despair  of  success ;  everything  is  open  to  him  if  he  will 
but  hustle  hard  enough  and  long  enough.  Work  on 
and  work  ever;  keep  up  your  enthusiasm  and  your 
nerve,  and  you're  bound  to  make  headway.  Progress 
is  inspiring.  There's  nothing  like  a  little  success  to 
convince  a  man  of  his  own  power  and  ability.  Con- 
fidence is  a  great  factor  in  achievement. 

The  time  to  hustle  is  when  there's  something  to 
hustle  for.  That  time  is  here — the  great  spring  time, 
when  all  the  world  is  filled  with  new  life,  new  energy, 
and  new  opportunities;  when  nature,  refreshed  by  her 
winter's  slumbers,  rises  with  new  vigor  to  the  task  of 
replenishing  the  earth  with  her  great  bounty,  and 
providing  new  openings  for  man's  activity.  Surely  it 
is  the  season  when  the  best  that's  in  us  is  called  forth. 
It  is  the  time  when  we  should  be  stirred  by  new  hopes 


3% EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

to  greater  effort.  It  is  the  time  when  work  is  most 
productive  because  it's  the  season  when  requirements 
are  greatest. 

Are  you  going  to  make  the  most  of  it  ?  Are  you  going 
to  use  the  opportunities  of  this  spring  time  to  lift 
yourself  higher  up  in  the  world  ?  If  you  are,  get  out  and 
hustle,  early  and  late — it's  the  only  way. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 39 

SYSTEM  IN  BUSINESS 

[1903] 

JRGANIZATION  is  the  prime  factor  in 
the  management  of  business  affairs. 
System  is  the  prime  factor  in  organiza- 
tion, therefore,  "systemize  your  work 
and  work  your  system"  is  a  precept  that 
every  business  man  should  adopt. 

Business  without  system  is  like  a  ship  without  a 
rudder — it  drifts.  System  insures  a  straight  course  and 
a  smooth,  successful  voyage  over  the  sea  of  commerce. 
Without  system  a  man  must  do  a  lot  of  work  with  little 
results ;  with  system  a  little  work  with  a  lot  of  results. 
A  man's  capacity  for  business  largely  depends  upon 
his  ability  to  invent  and  use  system.  System  saves 
time  and  labor,  and  insures  accuracy  and  dispatch. 
On  these  things  the  success  of  business  largely  depends. 
It  should  surely  then  need  no  argument  to  convince  a 
man  of  its  importance.  The  wonder  of  it  is  that  in 
these  days  of  aggressive  methods  and  fierce  competi- 
tion any  intelligent  man  should  be  neglectful  of  its 
great  and  manifest  advantages. 


40 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

THE  MANAGEMENT 

[1903] 

J  HAD  a  striking  illustration  a  short  time 
ago  of  the  impression  outsiders  get  of 
our  Company.  We  had  a  visit  recently 
from  a  prominent  English  manufacturer. 
I  made  his  acquaintance  while  in  Eng- 
land and  we  became  interested  in  each  other.  This 
summer  he  crossed  to  this  side,  and  as  he  was  a  man 
interested  in  up-to-date  methods,  I  invited  him  to 
visit  our  plant  here  in  Cleveland.  He  came  and  spent 
two  days  with  us. 

When  he  had  completed  his  inspection  of  our  plant, 
I  said  to  him,  "Mr.  Brooks  (for  that  is  his  name),  I  am 
very  anxious  to  know  what  has  impressed  you  most 
about  our  business.,,  The  reply  came  very  promptly: 
"I  think  that  your  organization  is  very  thorough  and 
very  complete,  and  that  your  system  is  excellent  in 
every  way,  but  what  has  interested  me  most  and  what 
I  have  admired  most  about  your  business  is  the  mag- 
nificent spirit  of  your  staff.  Every  man  with  whom  I 
have  come  in  contact  seems  to  be  imbued  with  the 
interest  of  the  Company,  and  to  have  unlimited  faith 
in  it  and  its  future." 

My  friends,  I  cannot  tell  you  how  pleased  I  was  with 
that  reply;  not  that  it  was  anything  new  to  me,  for  I 
long  ago  discovered  that  the  secret  of  our  success  lies 
in  the  spirit  of  our  staff — the  spirit  of  co-operation  and 
progress,  the  spirit  of  enthusiasm  and  good  fellowship ; 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 41 

these  are  the  things  that  have  enabled  us  to  win  the 
magnificent  success  which  we  enjoy,  and  if  we  persist 
in  them,  they  are  bound  to  keep  us  in  the  lead. 

Any  business  in  order  to  be  truly  successful  must 
possess  such  a  spirit.  Unless  a  man  believes  in  what 
he  is  doing,  unless  he  has  his  heart  in  it,  he  cannot  do 
his  best;  he  cannot  do  justice  either  to  himself  or  to  his 
employer.  The  spirit  in  which  we  do  work  is  more 
important  than  the  work  itself.  We  are  certainly 
proud  of  our  organization  and  our  system,  and  the 
quality  of  our  product.  They  are  potent  factors  in 
our  success,  but  more  important  than  the  system  and 
the  goods  are  the  men  who  make  the  goods  and  carry 
out  the  system. 

In  asking  you  to  work  hard  and  to  do  your  best  for 
this  Company,  I  have  one  little  bit  of  satisfaction,  it  is 
this :  I  have  never  yet  asked  anybody  to  work  harder 
for  the  Company  than  I  have  been  willing  to  do  myself. 
I  believe  in  hard  work,  I  like  it.  I  believe  it  is  the  key 
to  success. 

A  young  man  once  asked  Senator  Chauncey  Depew, 
the  great  railroad  executive,  if  he  would  not  tell  him 
the  secret  of  success.  He  replied,  "Young  man,  there 
is  no  secret  to  it;  it  is  simply  dig,  dig,  dig."  And 
when  Edison,  that  man  of  marvelous  capacity  for  work, 
was  asked  if  he  did  not  believe  that  genius  was  inspira- 
tion, he  replied,  "No,  sir!  genius  is  perspiration."  And 
so  you  will  find  it  the  world  over,  the  men  who  have 
accomplished  great  things  are  workers. 

I  have  counted  it  a  fortunate  day  in  my  life  when  I 
connected  myself  with  this  Company.    There  is  cer- 


42 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

tainly  something  in  the  atmosphere  of  our  organization 
that  is  bound  to  improve  us,  bound  to  elevate  us.  We 
cannot  help  but  catch  it,  and  we  cannot  do  anything 
that  will  help  us  more  than  to  develop  the  best  that 
is  in  us. 

Business  is  an  empire,  and  its  dominion  is  world 
wide.  In  it  there  are  many  divisions  and  many  de- 
partments and  all  the  positions,  from  the  lowest  to  the 
highest, are  open  to  the  courageous  and  the  industrious. 
Let  us  determine  more  resolutely  than  ever  that  we 
will  be  rulers,  not  subjects,  in  this  great  empire. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 43 

TIME  AND  PLACE 

U904] 

|T  Montreal  recently  I  had  a  talk  with  a 
railway  man  regarding  success  in  the 
railway  business.  In  the  course  of  the 
conversation  he  said:  "The  important 
thing  is  to  be  in  the  right  place  at  the 
right  time.,, 

This  sounded  very  well  when  he  said  it,  but  in  think- 
ing of  it  afterwards  I  thought  it  a  very  weak  conclusion. 
It  is  the  theory  of  the  waiting  game.  It  involves  rely- 
ing upon  circumstances.  Successful  men  don't  wait, 
and  they  don't  rely  upon  being  called.     They  go. 

I  don't  want  to  underestimate  the  advantage  of 
being  in  the  right  place  at  the  right  time;  but  I  think 
it  is  far  from  being  the  important  thing,  and  the  man 
who  thinks  it  is  is  likely  to  wait  a  long  time. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  time  and  place  have  very 
little  to  do  with  success.  The  right  man  will  succeed 
in  any  old  place  at  any  old  time.  It's  up  to  every  man 
to  find  his  place  and  make  it.  If  there  is  no  opening, 
force  one.  Don't  wait  to  be  called — go.  Don't  wait 
to  be  discovered;  get  out  and  explore  for  yourself — 
and  don't  look  for  anything  easy.  The  easy  things 
have  all  been  found  long  ago.  It's  new  things  and  hard 
things  that  must  engage  our  search. 

What  the  world  wants,  what  the  world  admires,  and 
what  the  world  rewards,  is  the  man  who  does  things, 
the  man  who  has  ideas,  the  man  who  strikes  out  on  his 


44 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

own  lines — doesn't  wait  around,  but  goes  after  things — 
and  gets  them.  And  this  is  the  sort  of  thing  we  want 
more  of  in  our  business.  We  want  more  men  with 
ideas — who  can  suggest  and  carry  out  improvements  in 
all  departments  of  our  work.  We  can  use  more  ability 
whenever  it  is  available.  We  are  searching  for  it 
constantly.  We  want  to  move  ahead  faster,  and  the 
great  thing  we  need  to  quicken  the  speed  is  more  men 
of  ability  and  capacity.  We  can  use  them  in  all  de- 
partments— executive,  manufacturing,  selling,  adver- 
tising, accounting.  There  is  no  lack  of  opportunity — 
the  right  time  and  the  right  place  are  here.  Don't 
wait  to  be  discovered — walk  up  and  prove  your  case. 

There's  not  much  credit  due  when  a  thing  is  thrown 
at  you  and  you  pick  it  up.  Being  prepared  is  all  right 
and  necessary,  but  it's  not  enough. 

I  am  sure  any  of  our  salesmen  can  take  an  order 
when  a  man  wants  the  goods.  I  am  sure  any  one  of 
you  can  do  a  good  trade  when  trade  is  good.  But 
what  we  want  in  this  business,  and  especially  at  this 
time,  are  men  who  can  sell  a  man  when  he  doesn't 
want  to  buy,  men  who  can  hunt  up  and  secure  trade — 
new  trade  when  there  isn't  much  doing,  men  who  can 
make  headway  when  others  are  slipping  back.  And  I 
am  pleased  to  say  here,  there  are  many  of  our  boys — 
the  majority  of  them — doing  this  very  thing  now.  And 
it  is  enabling  us  to  make  gains  when  others  are  losing 
ground.  We  would  like  to  see  the  few  territories  that 
are  "off"  pulled  up;  we  would  like  to  see  every  man 
to  the  good. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 45 

Don't  let  any  man  in  the  organization  worry  about 
being  in  the  right  place  at  the  right  time — just  keep 
your  eye  on  what  you  want,  and  work  to  it  until  you 
compel  attention,  and  then  prove  your  claim.  Every- 
thing is  open  to  you. 


46 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

LEADERSHIP 

[1904] 

1VERY  man  likes  to  win — at  something. 
Is  it  not  so  ? 

The  love  of  victory  is  in  every  man's 
heart,  and  the  greatest  game  in  all  the 
world  is  the  game  of  success.  Men's 
ideas  of  success  may  differ,  but  I  believe  every  man 
desires  it,  and  aims  at  it  in  some  form  or  other.  Win- 
ning success  is  a  serious  matter.  It  cannot  be  accom- 
plished in  an  easy  or  offhand  manner.  Make  up  your 
mind  to  that  at  the  start.  It's  strictly  and  painfully 
true — there's  no  royal  road  to  the  goal.  It's  a  hard  pull 
up  hill,  over  a  rocky  if  straight  road  all  the  way.  You 
can't  make  it  without  climbing,  nor  without  bruises. 
When  you  reach  the  top  you  may  ride  in  your  carriage 
or  automobile,  but  you'll  have  no  time  or  use  for  these 
on  the  way  up.  In  the  heat  of  the  battle  and  in  the 
stress  of  the  struggle  you  must  go  unaided  and  alone. 
It's  the  only  way  and  the  best  way.  Success  would 
possess  no  charm  apart  from  the  struggle.  It's  in 
winning  out,  in  overcoming,  in  conquering,  that  the 
victor  finds  his  joy. 

Leadership  is  sought  because  it  means  success. 
Success  is  striven  for  because  it  means  development 
and  growth. 

Every  man  should  strive  to  be  a  leader  in  his  line. 
He  ought  to  be  a  leader  sooner  or  later  in  something. 
He  will  be  if  he  makes  the  most  of  himself.  Every 
man  has  it  in  him,  but  alas,  only  a  few  get  it  out. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 47 

What's  the  reason?  They  quit  too  easily.  They  are 
unwilling  to  make  the  sacrifice  of  ease  and  comfort 
and  pleasure.  The  cost  is  too  great.  They  weaken 
at  the  price,  and  are  content  to  take  something  easier 
and  cheaper.  And  thus  do  they  follow  with  the  crowd 
in  the  rear,  instead  of  marching  at  the  front  where  the 
leaders  point  the  way. 

This  concern  of  ours  is  a  leader,  thank  goodness; 
and  it  is  such  because  we  have  striven  with  all  our 
might  for  the  place.  We  can  keep  the  leadership  only 
by  deserving  it.  If  we  weaken  for  a  moment  we  will 
slip  back.  Let  us  remember  this,  and  let  it  be  the  aim  of 
each  member  of  the  staff  to  be  a  leader  in  his  or  her  line. 


48 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

REPUTATION 

[1904] 

|HE  great  thing  necessary  to  success  in 
business,  and  in  life  for  that  matter,  is 
to  secure  a  reputation. 

Once  your  reputation  is  made  the  rest 
is  easy.  Emerson  said,  "If  a  man  writes 
a  better  book,  preaches  a  better  sermon  or  makes  a 
better  mousetrap  than  his  neighbor,  though  he  build 
his  house  in  the  woods  the  world  will  make  a  beaten 
path  to  his  door." 

Such  is  reputation.  It's  worth  a  mighty  effort. 
It's  no  easy  matter,  however,  making  it.  It's  a  hard, 
slow  process.  It  requires  much  skill,  great  patience, 
and  infinite  persistence. 

Reputation  is  the  world's  estimate  of  the  man  or 
the  concern;  and  the  world  is  suspicious  and  slow  to 
appreciate  or  applaud  but  quick  to  condemn.  It's  a 
long  hard  pull  up  to  a  good  reputation,  and  an  easy, 
rapid  fall  down  to  a  poor  one. 

There's  no  escaping  judgment — and  we're  all  found 
out  sooner  or  later  for  exactly  what  we  are ;  a  faker  may 
pass  for  a  while,  but  he  won't  last. 

In  business  it's  the  goods  you  sell  and  the  methods 
you  employ  in  selling  them  that  establish  your  reputa- 
tion. The  highest  reputation  can  only  be  gained  by 
selling  good  goods  by  right  methods. 

Quality  and  value  are  the  two  things  to  keep  con- 
stantly before  you — high  quality  and  good  value. 
The  best  in  anything  at  a  fair  price  is  the  best  value. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 49 

A  workman  can't  do  good  work  with  poor  tools, 
neither  can  a  merchant  gain  a  good  reputation  with 
poor  goods.  Don't  try  it.  Stick  to  the  best,  and  the 
best  only.  It  pays  in  the  long  run — in  profit  and  in 
satisfaction.  As  soon  as  the  public  know  that  they 
can  depend  upon  everything  that  comes  from  your 
store  your  reputation  is  made  and  your  success  assured. 

There  are  not  many  merchants  who  have  the  nerve 
to  handle  or  sell  only  the  best,  neither  are  there  many 
manufacturers  of  this  order.  The  temptation  to  sell 
something  cheap  and  inferior  for  immediate  profit  is  too 
great  for  the  majority1 — and  away  goes  their  reputation. 
They  never  amount  to  much.  Their  trade  is  a  sort  of 
catch-as-catch-can  business — there's  neither  profit  nor 
glory  in  it. 

It's  harder  and  slower  at  the  start  to  build  a  business 
on  quality,  but  when  you  get  it,  it  sticks.  It's  some- 
thing to  be  proud  of,  something  you  can  become  en- 
thusiastic over,  something  you  can  put  your  heart  into 
as  well  as  your  energy  and  ability. 

How  can  a  man  get  enthusiastic  over  cheap  stuff, 
how  can  he  put  his  heart  into  a  make-shift?  It's  not 
possible,  and  if  you  can't  put  your  heart  into  your 
business  get  out  of  it,  and  get  into  something  you  be- 
lieve in,  something  you  can  swear  by,  something  you 
delight  in.  It's  being  in  love  with  your  work  that 
counts.  There's  a  touch  of  the  heart  in  every  success 
— in  every  reputation. 


So EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

PLUCK 

[1905] 

|HIS  little  word  of  five  letters  stands  for 
one  of  the  most  important  qualifications 
necessary  to  victory  in  the  everlasting 
struggle  for  supremacy  that  is  constantly 
going  on  in  this  life. 
Every  man  gets  knocked  out  at  times  no  matter  how 
great  his  ultimate  success,  but  no  matter  how  greatly 
battered,  pluck  enables  him  to  keep  in  the  ring.  Get- 
ting knocked  out  doesn't  count  as  long  as  you  don't 
stay  out. 

It's  pluck  that  helps  a  fellow  to  "bob"  up  again  and 
tackle  anew  with  increased  vigor  and  determination  the 
hard  proposition  that  confronts  him. 

"Pluck  wins,  it  always  wins, 
Though  days  be  slow  and  nights  be  dark, 
'Twixt  days  that  come  and  go. 
Still  pluck  will  win,  its  average  is  sure. 
He  gains  the  prize  who  can  the  most  endure, 
Who  faces  issues  and  who  never  shirks, 
Who  waits  and  watches  and  who  always  works." 

Disappointments,  perplexities,  difficulties  and  fail- 
ures come  to  every  man.  There's  no  escaping  them. 
They  are  the  test  of  strength  and  merit,  they  are  the 
things  that  try  our  nerve  and  courage — they  are  the 
great  developers  of  resource. 

When  everything  goes  wrong,  when  carefully  laid 
plans  are  upset,  when  worries  crowd  in  upon  us  and 
depression  casts  down  our  spirit  almost  to  the  depths 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 51 

of  despair,  when  failure  seems  to  stare  us  in  the  face 
and  all  is  dark  ahead — then  comes  the  test  of  pluck — 
then  comes  the  fight  for  supremacy.  Pluck  at  such  a 
time  means  success,  and  the  lack  of  it — failure. 

These  thoughts  have  come  into  my  mind  as  I  think 
of  the  trouble  and  difficulties  that  confront  us  all,  but 
more  especially  the  new  men  in  our  organization — the 
new  men  on  the  road  who  are  out  for  the  first  time  to 
sell  our  products. 

This  is  not  an  easy  business,  it  requires  a  strong  man 
to  succeed  in  it.  The  competition  is  keen,  the  other 
fellow  usually  has  a  lower  price,  a  special  concession, 
or  a  cheaper  line  to  fall  back  on. 

Our  men  have  but  "one  quality,  one  label,  and  one 
price.,,  They  must  win  out  on  these  lines  or  fail.  It's 
often  a  hard  proposition.  Price,  price,  price  is  the  cry, 
and  it  must  be  met,  for  we  can't  sell  our  goods  for  more 
than  they  are  worth. 

But  price  is  only  the  measure  of  value, — low  price 
usually  means  poor  value,  and  high  price  good  value. 

Nevertheless  it's  no  easy  thing  to  convince  your  man, 
and  so  a  hard,  well  directed  effort  often  goes  unrewarded. 

But  don't  give  up.  A  plucky  man  never  does.  Go 
at  it  again  with  new  energy  and  fresh  enthusiasm, 
learn  from  every  obstacle  how  to  get  over  the  next, 
keep  up  your  nerve  and  you'll  win  out  in  the  end  just 
as  sure  as  day  follows  night. 


M EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

ORGANIZATION 

IRGANIZATION  is  the  chief  factor  in 
conducting  business  on  a  large  scale. 
Organizing  is  systematizing. 

This  is  the  day  of  big  things  in  busi- 
ness, and  the  increased  knowledge  in 
and  development  of  system  more  than  anything  else, 
has  made  possible  the  gigantic  commercial  enterprises 
of  this,  the  greatest  commercial  age  of  the  world's  history. 
It  is  by  the  means  of  organization  that  a  large,  com- 
plex business  of  varied  industries  and  numerous  divi- 
sions and  departments  can  be  reduced  to  a  system  that 
insures  its  being  conducted  as  a  powerful  single  unit. 
It  is  by  means  of  organization  that  it  is  possible  to 
breathe  into  a  vast  business,  with  its  thousands  of 
employees,  a  policy  that  will  unite  and  dominate  it, 
so  that  its  transactions  are  executed  with  the  same 
promptness,  courtesy,  attention  and  ability  that  is 
rendered  by  the  small  individual  business.  In  this 
manner  it  is  possible  to  give  to  large  affairs,  that 
personal  touch  which  is  so  much  appreciated  by  those 
who  deal  with  one  another.  In  this  number  of  The 
SWP  we  present  a  chart  of  our  own  organization, 
hoping  it  may  interest  our  agents  and  add  to  their 
confidence  in  our  ability  to  take  care  of  their  wants, 
and  help  them  to  further  development  of  this  business. 
The  paint  business,  in  our  opinion,  has  never  been 
developed  to  anywhere  near  its  possibilities.  Paint 
makers,  as  a  rule,  are  nothing  more  than  mixers,  grind- 
ers and  users  of  other  manufacturers'  materials.     They 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 53 

are  at  the  mercy  of  the  great  trusts,  in  whom  the  con- 
trol of  practically  every  important  paint  material  lies. 
In  the  paint  trade  we  have  the  lead  trust,  the  zinc 
trust,  the  linseed  oil  trust,  the  tin  can  trust,  and  many 
less  important  combinations.  It  is,  therefore,  no  easy 
matter  for  a  paint  manufacturer  to  gain  an  independent 
position  and  secure  control  of  his  own  supplies.  It 
requires  large  capital  and  a  capable,  well-trained  busi- 
ness organization. 

Such  an  organization  is  what  we  aim  at  and  are  fast 
acquiring.  We  already  manufacture  our  own  linseed 
oil,  our  own  dry  colors,  our  own  varnishes,  and  many 
liquids  of  all  kinds.  We  operate  our  own  tin  can  fac- 
tory, our  own  box  factory,  our  own  printing  and  bind- 
ing establishment.  We  make  our  own  paint  mixing 
and  tin  can  machinery,  and  erect  very  largely  our  own 
buildings.  We  employ  a  staff  of  chemists  who  are 
experts  in  color  making,  paint  making  and  minerals. 
Within  the  past  year  we  have  become  owners  of  one 
of  the  largest  lead  and  zinc  mines  in  the  country,  where 
we  take  from  the  earth  the  ore  which  is  converted  into 
zinc  oxide  at  our  own  works.  There  is  only  one  other 
maker  of  zinc  oxide  in  this  country  outside  ourselves. 

These  are  some  of  the  things  we  are  now  doing. 
There  are  a  lot  more  we  will  do  as  fast  as  we  can  get 
to  them.  Our  business  has  grown  to  be  by  far  the 
largest  of  its  kind  in  the  world,  but  it  is  nothing  com- 
pared with  what  we  intend  it  shall  be.  The  field  is 
large  and  promising,  and  our  ambition  to  develop  it  to 
the  limit  increases  with  our  progress.  In  all  things  we 
aim  to  keep  up  to  date,  but  we  still  believe  in  and  rely 


54 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

upon  the  old-fashioned  policy  of  making  a  good  article, 
selling  it  at  a  fair  price  and  giving  to  our  customers  the 
best  service  and  greatest  help  within  our  power.  We 
stand  for  good  goods,  good  value  and  good  business, 
and  are  yours  to  command. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES $S 

SALES  THE  LIFE  BLOOD  OF  A 

BUSINESS 

[1905] 

(ALES,  sales,  more  sales  is  the  business 
man's  greatest  problem.  It's  compara- 
tively easy  to  buy,  to  make  or  to  handle. 
The  great  trick  of  trade  is  selling — 
getting  rid  of  the  product  at  a  profit. 

A  demand  exists  only  for  staple  products,  but  there's 
no  money  to  be  made  on  such  articles,  because  of  the 
competition  resulting  from  everyone  handling  them. 
You've  got  to  go  out  and  create  a  demand  for  some- 
thing different  and  better  than  the  staple  article,  if 
you  want  to  make  money.  And  this  necessitates  a 
good  article,  and  a  good  proposition  forcibly  presented 
and  persistently  pushed.  You've  got  to  keep  ever- 
lastingly at  it  with  new  ideas  and  new  methods  if  you 
want  to  win  out  in  a  big  way,  and  if  you  are  in  busi- 
ness at  all  you  ought  to  be  in  it  to  make  the  most  of  it 
and  yourself.  Half-heartedness  or  halfway  measures 
won't  do.     You  must  go  the  limit. 

It's  our  aim  and  purpose  to  help  you  to  the  very 
best  of  our  ability  with  this  problem  of  more  sales. 
-We  have  for  a  number  of  years  been  systematically 
and  persistently  engaged  in  creating  a  large  market 
for  our  products  in  the  fall.  We  have  already  done  a 
great  deal  to  increase  fall  painting,  which  has  resulted 
in  more  sales  for  all  of  us.  This  year  we  have  spent 
more  thought,  more  time  and  more  money  on  our  Fall 
Campaign  plans  than  ever  before.     We  are  out  for  a 


$6 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

larger  business  than  ever  before.  We  have  had  to  risk 
something  in  these  extensive  preparations,  but  we  have 
faith  in  our  ideas  and  confidence  in  securing  the  co- 
operation of  our  agents  in  carrying  them  out. 

A  plan  is  no  good  until  worked.  We  have  done  our 
part  in  risking  these  extensive  preparations,  and  we  are 
positive  they  will  bring  results,  both  to  you  and  to  us, 
when  put  into  effect.  Now  we  want  your  enthusiastic 
co-operation.  We  want  you  to  take  hold  of  the  proposi- 
tion with  us,  and  between  us  to  work  it  out  to  a  finish. 

Remember,  you  can't  increase  your  business  any 
more  than  we  can  increase  ours  by  sitting  around  wait- 
ing for  people  to  come  to  you.  YouVe  got  to  go  to 
them.  You  must  make  the  advances,  you  must  make 
the  suggestions  and  do  the  urging  if  you  want  to  get 
their  business,  and  especially  if  you  want  to  create 
new  business. 

YouVe  got  to  show  some  enterprise  and  you've  got 
to  risk  something.  So  take  hold.  Give  our  plans  as 
outlined  in  this  number  of  The  SWP  a  good  trial. 
Put  into  stock  a  reasonable  amount  of  the  goods  we 
specially  recommend  for  fall,  adopt  the  methods  sug- 
gested for  pushing  them.  Brace  up,  get  to  work  in 
real  earnest,  put  new  life  into  your  fall  work,  and  sales, 
more  sales  and  greater  profits  will  surely  result. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 57 

PRACTICE,  PRACTICE,  PRACTICE 

[1906] 

|HEN  in  New  York  last  I  went  to  see  the 
great  Hippodrome,  which  is  termed  the 
largest  playhouse  in  the  world.  I  went 
to  see  it  because  the  largest  or  best  of  any- 
thing is  always  interesting  and  attractive. 

I  was  greatly  impressed  by  what  I  saw.  The  im- 
mensity of  the  building,  the  mammoth  stage,  the 
excellent  order  and  splendid  system  by  which  the  vast 
machinery  of  the  whole  place  is  conducted,  all  com- 
mand admiration. 

Then,  the  entertainment  itself  was  of  most  excellent 
character.  All  the  performers  were  top-notchers  in 
their  line.  There  were  feats  of  great  strength  and  of 
great  skill.  There  were  wonderful  acts  of  daring  by 
fearless  riders  and  venturesome  acrobats.  There  was 
a  marvelous  exhibition  of  courage  and  skilful  training 
by  a  woman  who  performed  in  a  cage  with  twelve 
ferocious  lions,  and  there  were  many  other  features, 
all  of  a  masterly  and  dexterous  nature. 

The  whole  thing  impressed  me  as  a  fine  exhibition  of 
the  results  of  training  and  practice.  I  thought  as  I 
looked  on  with  wrapt  attention  at  act  after  act  of 
these  seemingly  impossible  things,  that  after  all  to  the 
man  who  has  sufficient  of  patience,  endurance  and 
perseverance  to  practice  on  and  on,  nothing  is  impossible. 

These  performers  were  experts  in  skill  because  of 
their  ability  to  practice  long  enough  and  hard  enough. 

When  we  look  at  a  great  performance  we  think  how 


58 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

simple  and  easy.  We  forget  the  long,  hard  struggles 
that  must  have  been  patiently  endured,  the  dis- 
couragements and  failures  that  were  met  and  overcome 
by  persevering  effort,  before  success  was  reached. 
The  finished  product  always  looks  comparatively 
simple.  When  you  see  a  thing  done  it  appears  easy. 
It's  the  training  and  the  practice  which  we  don't  see 
that  produces  the  result. 

And  so  it  is  with  every  top-notcher  in  any  line  of 
work.  He  must  train  and  practice  day  in  and  day  out. 
He  must  go  down  to  defeat  at  times,  and  find  new 
courage  to  try  again  and  again  and  again,  until  by 
sheer  force  of  perseverance  he  finally  overcomes  all 
his  obstacles  and  difficulties  and  marches  straight  to 
his  aim.  The  road  to  success  is  hard  and  steep,  but 
it's  a  fine  thing  to  travel  over  it,  and  when  you  reach 
the  top  you  will  not  begrudge  the  toil  and  effort  of  the 
trip,  for  there  is  nothing  in  this  world  so  sweet  as  the 
rewards  of  labor.  There  is  no  satisfaction  that  equals 
that  which  comes  from  successful  achievement.  Every 
man  should  strive  with  all  his  might  to  be  a  top-notcher 
in  his  line.  We  were  all  meant  to  be  top-notchers  in 
something  and  we  all  have  it  in  us  to  "make  good." 

Business  is  our  vocation  and  success  is  the  luminous 
star  that  points  the  way  for  our  high  ambition.  We 
are  top-notchers  in  our  line,  let  us  also  be  top-notchers 
in  the  greatest  commercial  organizations  of  all  lines. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 59 

PROGRESS 

[1906] 

|ROGRESS  is  development,  and  develop- 
ment is  the  purpose  of  life.  Where 
there  is  no  progress  there  is  stagnation, 
and  stagnation  is  death. 

The  great  country  in  which  we  enjoy 
the  privilege  and  good  fortune  of  living  is  the  most 
progressive  in  the  world.  No  other  country  ever  ad- 
vanced so  rapidly  or  so  far.  No  other  people  have 
enjoyed  such  a  measure  of  prosperity  as  the  American 
people.  Such  is  the  atmosphere  in  which  we  live  and 
work.  It  is  as  natural  for  our  aggressive  organization 
to  progress  as  it  is  for  us  to  breathe  the  invigorating 
air  that  sustains  us. 

Ambition  is  the  great  incentive  to  progress.  It  is 
the  desire  to  excel,  the  eagerness  to  surpass  old  records 
and  establish  new  ones,  that  fires  the  mind,  quickens 
the  pulse  and  prods  the  energy  to  attempt  greater  and 
higher  achievements. 

Imagination  also  plays  a  great  part  in  the  march  of 
progress.    The  man  of  deeds  is  a  man  of  vision. 

We  must  first  picture  in  our  minds  the  aims  we  strive 
for.  We  must  behold  a  vision  of  what  we  long  to  be. 
The  plans  for  every  great  structure  first  exist  in  the 
mind  of  the  architect  before  they  find  expression  in 
the  drawings  on  his  chart.  So  the  plans  for  our  career, 
which  is  to  be  our  life's  work,  must  first  be  sketched  by 
the  imagination  on  the  brain,  then  worked  out  and 
improved  upon  by  the  mind  and  at  last  realized  in  our 


6o EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

work.  Too  many  work  without  plans  or  specifications 
— they  never  see  the  vision,  and  their  structures  are 
poor  and  shapeless  and  never  enduring.  As  the  plans, 
so  the  building.  If  the  plans  are  crude  and  small,  so 
will  the  building  be.  The  great  thing,  therefore,  is  to 
plan  big  and  broad  and  high  and  secure.  Keep  the 
plans  ever  before  your  eyes,  work  close  to  the  specifica- 
tions and  keep  building  steadily  and  securely,  bit  by 
bit,  until  your  structure  rises  to  its  full  height  and  glory. 

Such  is  the  spirit  of  progress  which  animates  the 
work  of  our  organization,  and  some  of  the  results  of 
which  are  presented  in  this  number  of  The  Chameleon 
to  attract  your  interest  and  encourage  your  efforts. 

There  is  nothing  so  stimulating  as  progress.  Every 
step  forward  gives  new  confidence  and  fresh  encourage- 
ment to  our  aims  and  energy.  And  it  is  pleasant  to 
feel  that  in  making  headway  we  increase  the  oppor- 
tunities for  advancement  of  those  who  march  with  us, 
as  well  as  make  room  for  larger  numbers. 

The  illustrations  in  these  pages  indicate  our  progress 
for  the  year.  They  are  the  realization  of  only  part  of 
our  plans.  Our  vision  extends  far  beyond.  The 
building  of  this  business,  as  I  have  often  said,  is  only 
well  under  way.  The  architects  are  constantly  at  work 
on  ne\v  and  larger  plans  and  the  builders  are  hard  at 
their  task,  eager  and  happy  in  its  execution. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 61 

WELL  DONE,  WELL  DONE 

[1906] 

[HIS  month  I  feel  like  saying  to  every 
member  of  the  staff,  Well  Done,  Well 
Done,  for  we  have  just  closed  by  far  the 
greatest  year  in  our  history — greatest 
in  sales,  greatest  in  output,  greatest 
in  new  construction,  and  what  is  more  important 
still,  greatest  in  the  development  and  improvement  of 
our  organization. 

We  are  stronger  by  far  as  a  concrete,  capable,  busi- 
ness organization  than  we  were  a  year  ago.  We  have 
grown  in  efficiency  as  well  as  in  size.  We  are  better 
equipped  to  face  the  future  than  ever  before. 

In  the  year  just  past,  not  only  have  we  made  our 
high  estimate,  but  we  have  exceeded  it.  Every  man, 
I  believe,  has  put  forth  his  best  efforts,  and  a  great 
majority  of  the  representatives  have  made  the  esti- 
mate they  have  worked  so  hard  to  reach.  To  these  I 
offer  my  hearty  congratulations,  and  to  those  who  have 
fallen  short  I  would  say,  don't  be  discouraged,  keep 
up  your  nerve,  and  start  in  with  greater  determination 
than  ever  to  make  good  this  year.     Remember, 

"There's  no  defeat  save  from  within ; 
Unless  you're  beaten  there  you're  bound  to  win." 

Life  is  a  struggle,  business  is  a  race,  and  the  rewards 
are  reserved  for  the  courageous,  the  enterprising  and 
the  persevering.  The  game  is  worth  the  candle  every 
time.  The  great  prize  of  success  is  worthy  of  our  best, 
and  it  is  within  the  reach  of  all. 


62 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

These  are  great  days  in  which  to  make  a  record. 
Never  were  possibilities  and  opportunities  so  favorable 
for  men  with  the  energy  and  determination  to  make  the 
most  of  them.  Reach  out,  reach  up,  take  a  strong 
hold,  and  lift  yourself  out  of  the  crowd  below  into  the 
high  places  reserved  for  the  top-notchers.  You'll 
never  have  a  better  time  to  do  it  than  now. 

We're  proud  of  the  record  we  have  made,  we're 
proud  of  the  staff  that  has  made  it,  and  as  we  look 
forward  into  another  business  year,  the  prospects  are 
exceedingly  brilliant — the  brightest  we  have  ever 
known,  and  we  anticipate  with  the  keenest  interest  and 
strongest  confidence  working  out  new  records  in  it. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 63 

TRAINING  OF  THE  BOY 

HE  future  depends  upon  our  boys.  The 
boy's  future  depends  upon  his  train- 
ing. The  important  thing  is  to  get  him 
started  right. 

If  his  career  is  destined  to  be  business, 
care  should  be  taken  to  start  him  in  a  line  he  has  a 
liking  for,  and  then  to  place  him  with  a  firm  in  this 
line  that  is  managed  on  good  principles  and  conducted 
by  systematic  up-to-date  methods.  The  influence  of 
good  surroundings  is  of  the  highest  importance  at  a 
time  when  a  boy's  ideas  of  business  are  being  formed. 
Discipline  and  system  should  be  instilled  into  him  daily. 
They  are  the  only  safe  foundation  on  which  to  build 
experience  and  ability. 

Too  much  should  not  be  expected  in  the  way  of  re- 
sults, by  the  boy,  his  employer  or  his  parents,  at  the 
start.  Training  is  slow,  tedious  and  tiresome  work. 
The  lessons  of  patience,  perseverance  and  pluck  must 
be  learned  at  this  stage.  If  the  training  is  good,  never 
mind,  stick  to  it.  Master  the  job  before  you  leave  it. 
Don't  be  dissatisfied  with  your  pay,  or  appear  to  be 
impatient  to  have  it  advanced.  You  are  probably 
getting  more  out  of  the  job  than  your  employer  is 
getting  out  of  you.  Show  your  eagerness  to  learn 
more,  and  do  more  than  is  expected  of  you,  and  the 
money  question  will  take  care  of  itself.  If  it  doesn't 
you'll  be  ahead  just  the  same,  for  knowledge  and  in- 
dustry never  have  to  wait  long  for  a  market. 

Most  parents  or  guardians  judge  a  boy's  success  by 


64 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

his  earning  power  at  the  start.  They  think  more  of 
the  amount  he  is  earning  in  dollars,  and  less  of  what  he 
is  earning  in  knowledge  and  experience  than  they 
should.    This  often  discourages  the  boy  himself. 

The  training  of  boys  should  include  encouragement, 
sympathy  and  appreciation  as  well  as  rigid  discipline. 
They  are  learning  and  will  make  mistakes.  We  must 
have  patience  with  them,  and  show  them  how  to  make 
the  fewest  number.  A  good  piece  of  work  and  steady 
improvement  should  have  its  word  of  praise. 

Our  interest  in  the  boy  should  extend  beyond  the 
office  or  factory  hours.  The  manner  in  which  they 
spend  their  time  away  from  their  work  is  as  important 
as  the  work  itself.  The  leisure  hours  should  be  spent 
in  wholesome,  helpful  recreation.  Good  companions, 
good  reading,  regular  hours  will  insure  development, 
and  the  interested  employer  and  parent  can  influence 
the  boy  in  these  directions.  Keep  them  busy  in 
wholesome  occupation  outside  the  office  is  the  best 
way  in  which  to  insure  their  being  in  good  form  for  the 
work  inside  the  office. 

Parents  should  keep  in  touch  with  the  progress  of  the 
boy.  Show  an  interest  in  their  work.  Most  boys  are 
enthusiastic  over  their  business  and  take  a  pride  in 
their  house — encourage  this  spirit,  be  enthusiastic  with 
them,  foster  the  good  fellowship  and  loyalty  they  feel. 
It  is  a  great  factor  in  business.  The  boy  ought  some 
day  to  become  a  proprietor — encourage  him  to  aim  at 
the  topmost  place. 

Manners  and  appearance  count  big  in  a  boy's  pro- 
gress.    He  should  be  bright,  willing,  cheerful,  always 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 65 

polite,  and  always  neat  and  tidy.  He  will  make 
friends  if  he  is  obliging  and  ready  at  all  times  to  help, 
whether  the  work  may  be  his  or  not. 

The  boys  of  today  are  the  men  of  tomorrow.  Their 
opportunities  are  greater  than  any  that  have  preceded 
them.  Business  is  a  race,  and  only  those  who  train  for 
it  need  hope  to  win. 


66 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

THE  RELATION  OF  ADVERTISING 
TO  THE  COST  OF  GOODS 

[OOD  advertising  does  not  make  goods 
more  expensive.  Good  advertising  will 
lower  the  cost  of  doing  business,  and  if 
it  does  not  do  this  it  is  not  good  adver- 
tising. I  want  everybody  to  feel  per- 
fectly satisfied  on  this  point. 

We  are  often  thus  accused  of  making  our  prices  high 
on  account  of  our  advertising. 

The  fact  is,  if  we  did  not  do  so  much  advertising  and 
do  it  so  well,  our  prices  would  have  to  be  higher. 

To  me,  a  proposition  to  increase  advertising  ex- 
penditures, or  let  us  say,  to  do  better  advertising  in 
order  to  lower  prices,  would  be  more  practical  than  a 
proposition  to  do  less  advertising  to  accomplish  the 
same  object. 

Our  advertising  expenditure,  while  it  is  large  in 
dollars  and  cents,  is  very  low  in  percentage  to  sales. 
Such  results  are  what  we  aim  to  achieve  in  this  depart- 
ment, and  they  are  largely  dependent  upon  the  char- 
acter of  the  advertising  and  the  care  with  which  it  is 
put  into  effect. 

Take  as  an  illustration  a  man  who  is  doing  a  busi- 
ness of  #100,000  per  annum,  and  let  us  suppose  his 
expenses  are  #25,000,  which  is  25  per  cent  to  his  sales. 
He  wishes  to  increase  this  business  and  he  decides  to 
advertise.  Let  us  suppose  that  he  decides  on  an 
expenditure  for  this  purpose  of  #7,500  per  annum.     His 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 67 

expenses  are  then  increased  to  $32,50x3.  By  this  ex- 
penditure, let  us  suppose,  he  is  able  to  increase  his 
sales  to  $130,000  and  at  this  rate  his  expenses  with 
advertising  added  would  amount  to  same  percentage  as 
before,  namely  25  per  cent.  He  has  not  increased  the 
percentage  of  his  expense  and  has  sold  $30,000  more 
goods,  and  if  his  net  profit  was  5  per  cent,  he  has  in- 
creased his  net  earnings  by  $1,500.  The  amount  I 
have  named  for  advertising  such  a  business  should 
bring  even  larger  results. 

What  I  want  to  make  plain  is  that  advertising  well 
done  does  not  increase  expenses,  but  will  lower  them. 
This  is  the  way  we  figure  in  our  business. 

We  watch  the  results  in  a  very  thorough  and  careful 
manner.  Each  division  and  every  department  is 
charged  with  the  amount  of  the  advertising,  and  the 
amount  spent  in  this  way  is  constantly  compared  with 
the  sales.  If  the  sales  warrant  the  expenditure,  it  is  all 
right,  but  if  the  results  are  not  forthcoming,  then  there 
is  something  wrong. 

An  advertising  report  is  furnished  by  each  division 
monthly.  It  shows  the  cost  of  each  different  line  of 
advertising  for  each  line  of  goods.  It  shows  the 
amount  of  advertising  used  and  the  amount  on  hand, 
and  it  shows  the  total  amount  compared  with  the 
total  sales.  It  takes  a  great  deal  of  time  and  money 
to  get  up  this  report,  but  only  in  this  way  are  we  able  to 
watch  results  and  determine  what  is  profitable  and 
what  is  not. 

This  Company  is  not  going  to  throw  away  any  money 
on  advertising  if  it  can  help  it. 


68 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

Our  advertising  has  been  a  great  help  in  building  up 
this  large  business  and  it  has  enabled  us  to  increase  our 
output  and  give  us  as  low  a  cost  as  we  can  expect. 

It  has  frequently  been  stated  that  The  Sherwin- 
Williams  Co.  charges  higher  prices  for  its  goods  be- 
cause of  the  money  it  spends  for  the  benefit  of  its  em- 
ployees, such  as  the  work  we  are  doing  here  in  the  way 
of  lunch  rooms,  etc. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  dealer  pays  for  this.  I  wish 
to  state  emphatically  that  there  is  not  a  cent  spent  in 
this  way  that  is  charged  into  the  cost  of  our  goods. 

This  work  is  all  paid  for  out  of  the  net  profits  of  the 
business  by  the  shareholders  of  the  Company.  If  the 
shareholders  are  willing  to  do  this,  I  think  it  is  to  their 
credit  and  that  they  should  not  be  taken  to  task  for  it. 

We  certainly  would  not  fool  ourselves  for  one  minute 
figuring  such  expenses  into  our  costs.  Our  costs  are 
figured  in  a  most  careful  manner,  and  we  aim  to  put 
you  in  a  position  as  good,  if  not  better,  than  any  other 
concern  in  the  business. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 69 

THE  FOUR-LEGGED  STOOL 

|OME  time  ago  I  read  some  remarks  that 
Mr.  Andrew  Carnegie  made  before  his 
workmen,  in  which  he  compared  a  suc- 
cessful business  to  a  three-legged  stool, 
and  called  the  three  legs  capital,  labor 
and  business  ability,  but  I  thought  at  the  time  that  a 
three-legged  stool  was  not  the  most  secure  or  the  safest 
kind  of  a  stool,  and  that  he  might  have  added  to  its 
strength  by  putting  on  another  leg,  and  that  leg  I  would 
call  "Co-Operation."  Of  what  good  is  capital,  labor 
and  business  ability  without  co-operation.  So  I  sug- 
gest that  we  have  a  four-legged  stool,  and  who  knows 
but  that  we  may  in  time  even  surpass  the  enormous 
record  of  Andrew  Carnegie  in  his  business.  These  are 
days  of  advancement  and  improvement  in  all  things. 
This  is  a  progressive  country  and  this  is  a  progressive 
organization,  so  I  don't  see  any  reason  why  we  should 
not  go  ahead  as  we  have  done  in  the  last  few  years, 
making  such  wonderful  gains,  and  this  we  can  only  do 
by  your  help. 


7o  EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 


Sherwin-Williams 
CODE  OF  PRINCIPLES 

i.  To  win  on  our  merits. 

2.  To  be  the  best  and  largest  concern  of 
the  kind  in  the  world. 

3.  To  be  broad  and  liberal  as  well  as  ag- 
gressive in  our  policy  and  methods. 

4.  To  take  a  pride  in  our  institution. 

5.  To  be  loyal  to  the  Company  and  to 
each  other. 

6.  To  foster  good  fellowship  among  our- 
selves, and  to  take  pleasure  as  well  as 
profit  out  of  our  work. 

7.  To  strive  constantly  for  the  improve- 
ment and  advancement  of  the  business 
and  ourselves. 

8.  To  be  considerate,  polite  and  cour- 
teous in  all  our  dealings  within  and 
without  the  Company. 

9.  To  be  high  toned  in  everything,  every- 
where. 

10.  To  grow  in  knowledge  and  character 
as  well  as  in  size. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 71 

IMPORTANCE  OF  HEALTH  TO 

SUCCESS 

[1907] 

[OR  a  long  time  I  have  wanted  to  write 
something  about  the  importance  of 
health,  and  its  effect  on  our  work.  I 
think  in  the  hurry  and  rush  of  our 
strenuous  lives  we  often  fail  to  appreci- 
ate how  great  a  factor  health  is  in  making  the  most  of 
our  careers. 

Many  of  us  are  burning  the  candle  at  both  ends, 
and  if  we  don't  look  out  the  candle  will  soon  be  com- 
pletely extinguished.  And  that  is  not  the  only  danger. 
When  health  is  abused,  we  can  neither  produce  the 
best  results  in  our  work,  nor  enjoy  the  benefits  thereof. 

To  work  right  we  must  feel  right. 

Snap  and  vim,  which  have  in  them  a  touch  of  in- 
spiration, are  produced  by  the  enthusiasm  that  is 
generated  by  the  exuberance  of  health.  They  are  the 
things  that  make  work  a  delight,  and  life  a  pleasure. 

That  tired,  jaded,  depressed,  worn-out  feeling  comes 
from  abused  health.  It  makes  every  effort  a  trying 
exertion,  and  produces  nothing  worth  while.  It  makes 
life  a  burden  for  ourselves — and  for  others.  In  the 
end  it  means  failure.  A  healthy  mind  in  a  healthy 
body  is  the  greatest  requisite  to  the  highest  develop- 
ment of  our  powers.  The  mind  generates  thought, 
thought  generates  ideas,  and  ideas  are  the  mainspring 
of  action. 

"As  a  man  thinketh  so  is  he,"  the  proverb  says. 


72 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

And  we  are  told  that  the  qualifications  of  the  mind  are 
chiefly  influenced  by  the  constitution  of  the  body.  A 
man  can't  think  high  and  mighty  things  if  his  feelings 
are  low  and  his  spirit  broken.  It  surely  behooves  us, 
then,  to  have  a  care  for  the  strength  of  our  bodies,  and 
the  health  of  our  minds,  and  so  keep  our  motive  power 
keyed  up  to  the  highest  pitch.  It's  by  far  the  most 
important  thing  we  can  do. 

The  first  rule  of  health  is  "Know  thyself."  Find  out 
your  capacity  and  your  limitations  in  all  things,  and 
work  and  live  within  them.  Learn  how  to  eat  and 
drink  properly.  Take  sufficient  rest  and  recreation. 
Treat  yourself  as  the  engineer  treats  his  engine,  or  as  a 
careful  trainer  cares  for  the  horse  he  prepares  for  the 
race,  for  we  need  the  efficiency  of  the  engine,  and  the 
speed  of  the  race  horse,  if  we  are  to  be  prize  winners  in 
the  great  race  of  the  world — the  successful  life. 

When  we  have  learned  the  first  lesson,  "Know  thy- 
self," the  second  is  "Control  thyself."  And  this  is  the 
hardest.  It  is  so  much  easier  to  give  way  to  self- 
indulgence,  it  is  so  much  pleasanter  to  cater  to  the 
cravings  of  the  taste  and  our  natural  inclinations, 
than  to  follow  and  adhere  to  the  dictates  of  judgment, 
that  we  generally  sacrifice  sound  sense  to  the  pleasures 
of  the  moment. 

Napoleon  was  asked  by  his  physician  at  St.  Helena 
if  he  could  undergo  a  certain  severe  treatment  which 
had  become  necessary  to  the  preservation  of  his  health, 
and  he  quickly  replied  that  he  could  do  so  without 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 73 

trouble,  as  all  his  life  he  had  made  it  a  rule  to  make  his 
body  subject  to  his  will.  That's  the  important  thing 
— to  make  our  bodies  subject  to  our  wills.  The  man 
who  can  do  it  is  master  of  himself.  He  is  a  real  con- 
queror, trained  and  capable  of  other  victories. 


74 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

WHAT  BUSINESS  MEANS  TO  ME 

[1907] 

IUSINESS  is  the  Great  Game — Because 
of  the  Spirit  of  War  and  Conquest,  the 
Element  of  Personal  Leadership,  the 
Constant  Goal  of  Progress  which  it 
Holds  Out  to  the  Player. 

Business  is  warfare.  It  is  a  hard,  constant  fight 
to  the  finish.  The  moment  a  contestant  enters  the 
field  of  commerce  he  is  challenged  by  a  host  of  com- 
petitors. All  his  movements  are  disputed  and  op- 
posed by  those  already  in  possession  of  the  field.  He 
must  fight  to  live.     He  must  conquer  to  succeed. 

So  it  is  that  a  man  of  business  is  like  a  soldier  of  the 
regiment.  And  like  the  well-trained  soldier  who  de- 
lights in  the  clamor  of  battle,  the  enterprising  business 
man  is  eager  for  the  struggle  of  competition.  He  likes 
the  excitement  of  contending  for  supremacy.  He  de- 
lights to  overcome  those  who  oppose  him  and  he  finds 
genuine  pleasure  in  outwitting  his  rivals. 

It  is  this  spirit  of  rivalry  that  sharpens  a  man's 
intellect  and  spurs  on  his  energy.  And  unless  a  man 
is  possessed  of  this  desire  to  overcome,  to  surpass,  to 
stand  first  in  his  line,  he  can  never  hope  to  carry  the 
day,  he  will  never  succeed  in  the  fight. 

Profit,  which  is  the  reward  of  industry  and  ability 
in  business,  is  not  the  sole  object  and  consideration 
that  actuates  the  really  successful  man.  The  love  of 
gain  cannot  inspire  him  to  the  highest  endeavor. 
There   must   be   something  greater,   something   more 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 75 

enduring  to  call  forth  his  supreme  efforts  and  satisfy 
his  ambition.  And  that  something  is  the  same  spirit 
that  is  possessed  by  the  men  of  war  who  go  into  battle 
to  do  or  die — who  fight  to  win  and  forget  all  else. 

Every  man  likes  to  win — at  something.  Is  it  not  so  ? 
The  love  of  victory  is  in  every  man's  heart,  and  the 
greatest  game  in  all  the  world  is  the  game  of  success. 
Men's  ideas  of  success  may  differ,  but  I  believe  every 
man  desires  it,  and  aims  at  it  in  some  form  or  other. 

Winning  success  is  a  serious  matter.  It  cannot  be 
accomplished  in  an  easy  or  offhand  manner.  It's 
strictly  and  painfully  true — there's  no  royal  road  to 
the  goal.  It's  a  hard  pull  up  hill,  over  a  rocky  if  straight 
road  all  the  way.  You  can't  make  it  without  climbing, 
nor  without  bruises.  When  you  reach  the  top  you  may 
ride  in  your  carriage  or  automobile,  but  you'll  have  no 
time  or  use  for  these  on  the  way  up.  In  the  heat  of 
the  battle  and  in  the  stress  of  the  struggle  you  must  go 
unaided  and  alone. 

It's  the  only  way  and  the  best  way.  Success  would 
possess  no  charm  apart  from  the  struggle.  It's  in  the 
winning  hour,  in  overcoming,  in  conquering,  that  the 
victor  finds  his  joy. 

Progress  is  development,  and  development  is  the 
purpose  of  life.  Where  there  is  no  progress  there  is 
stagnation,  and  stagnation  is  death.  The  great  country 
in  which  we  enjoy  the  privilege  and  good  fortune  of 
living  is  the  most  progressive  in  the  world.  No  other 
country  ever  advanced  so  rapidly  or  so  far.  No  other 
people  have  enjoyed  such  a  measure  of  prosperity  as 
the   American   people.     Such    is   the    atmosphere   in 


76 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

which  we  live  and  work.  It  is  as  natural  for  our 
aggressive  organization  to  progress  as  it  is  for  us  to 
breathe  the  invigorating  air  that  sustains  us. 

Ambition  is  the  great  incentive  to  progress.  It  is 
the  desire  to  excel,  the  eagerness  to  surpass  old  records 
and  establish  new  ones,  that  fires  the  mind,  quickens 
the  pulse  and  prods  the  energy  to  attempt  greater 
achievements. 

Imagination  also  plays  a  great  part  in  the  march 
of  progress.  The  man  of  deeds  is  a  man  of  vision. 
We  must  first  picture  in  our  minds  the  aims  we  strive 
for.  We  must  behold  a  vision  of  what  we  long  to 
be.  The  plans  for  every  great  structure  first  exist  in 
the  mind  of  the  architect  before  they  find  expression 
in  the  drawings  of  his  chart.  So  the  plans  for  our 
career,  which  is  to  be  our  life's  work,  must  first  be 
stretched  by  the  imagination  on  the  brain,  then  worked 
out  by  the  mind  and   at  last  realized  in  our  work. 

Too  many  work  without  plans  or  specifications — 
they  never  see  the  vision  and  their  structures  are 
poor  and  shapeless  and  never  enduring.  As  the  plans, 
so  the  building.  If  the  plans  are  crude  and  small,  so 
will  the  building  be. 

The  great  thing,  therefore,  is  to  plan  big  and  broad 
and  high  and  secure.  Keep  the  plans  ever  before  your 
eyes,  work  close  to  the  specifications  and  keep  building 
steadily  and  securely,  bit  by  bit,  until  your  structure 
rises  to  its  full  height  and  glory. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 77 

HOME  AGAIN 

[1907] 

[HIS  is  a  world  of  compensations.  For 
every  hardship,  disappointment  or  dis- 
couragement there  is  an  offset.  One  of 
the  compensations  of  absence  from  home 
and  separation  from  friends,  is  the  pleas- 
ure of  returning.  And  in  my  experience,  the  longer  the 
absence  the  greater  is  the  pleasure  of  coming  back. 

I  have  been  away  from  home  more  than  three 
months,  engaged  in  the  strenuous  but  interesting  work 
of  developing  and  building  up  our  English  organization. 
I  would  have  remained  longer  but,  to  tell  the  truth,  I 
couldn't.  I  was  restless  to  get  back  and  take  a  hand 
in  the  splendid  progress  of  the  Spring  Campaign. 

I  can  hardly  express  the  great  pleasure  I  feel  at  being 
once  more  in  direct  touch  with  all  departments  of  our 
aggressive  home  organization,  and  to  find  everyone  full 
of  the  old-time  energy,  cheerfulness  and  enthusiasm 
which  has  been  such  a  factor  in  making  our  institution 
the  greatest  of  the  kind  in  the  world. 

While  still  far  out  on  the  ocean  I  received  by  means 
of  the  wonderful  wireless  telegraphy  a  message  of 
greeting  from  the  staff  of  the  Atlantic  Coast  District. 
Before  the  steamer  had  docked  I  received  letters  tell- 
ing of  many  new  records  made  in  the  business,  and  on 
the  dock  I  found  friends  to  meet  me,  all  with  good  news 
of  our  progress.  At  the  hotel  a  telegram  was  handed 
me  announcing  that  the  previous  week  had  been  the 
top-notcher  in  volume  of  any  in  our  history.     When  I 


78 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

reached  the  Cleveland  plant  the  welcome  sight  of  the 
grand  old  flag  flying  in  the  breeze  met  my  gaze,  and  I 
thought  what  a  pleasant  thing  it  is  to  be  remembered. 
I  felt  then  the  compensation  for  absence. 

Is  it  therefore  any  wonder  that  it  was  with  feelings 
of  genuine  pleasure  and  enthusiasm  that  I  dove  once 
more  into  the  work  at  headquarters,  and  may  I  not  be 
pardoned  for  having  indulged  a  feeling  of  great  pride 
in  having  a  part  in  our  magnificent  enterprise  ?  Every 
time  I  come  back  I  feel  prouder  of  it. 

No  feelings  have  stirred  me  more  on  my  return  than 
those  of  gratitude  to  all  my  friends  and  colleagues  in 
this  business  for  the  exceptional  records  piled  up  in 
the  past  few  months.  It's  a  fine  thing  to  come  back 
to  such  a  cheerful  atmosphere,  and  find  that  the  busi- 
ness you  are  interested  in  goes  on  even  better  when 
you  are  away  than  when  you  are  at  home.  One  of  our 
directors  said  to  me  if  I  would  only  stay  away  longer  we 
would  make  still  greater  records,  and  I  don't  doubt  it; 
but,  nevertheless,  I  want  to  be  around.  I  don't  want 
to  miss  the  inspiration  that  is  generated  by  successful 
work  and  progress. 

Let  me  now  congratulate  most  heartily,  and  thank 
most  sincerely,  the  staff  in  all  departments,  divisions 
and  districts  for  the  magnificent  results  accomplished 
in  the  new  campaign.  I  know  full  well  they  have  been 
produced  by  hard  work  and  by  faithful,  loyal  effort. 
We  have  not  lost  the  knack  of  making  progress.  We 
have  not  been  spoiled  by  success,  for  the  same  eager 
desire  to  make  new  records,  and  to  continue  through 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 79 

merit  our  leadership,  stimulates  all  our  activities. 
Competition  is  lively,  but  the  keen  spirit  of  the  top- 
notchers  is  in  our  veins,  and  we  are  constantly  drawing 
farther  away  from  our  ambitious  rivals.  We  chal- 
lenge the  world  and  fear  nothing. 


8o EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

STAYING  POWER 

[1907] 

J  HE  man  who  is  going  to  win  in  his  fight 
for  success  must  be  a  stayer.  He  must 
possess  courage,  endurance  and  grit  to 
go  against  and  overcome  the  innumer- 
able disappointments,  discouragements 
and  difficulties  that  beset  his  path. 

Many  enter  the  race  full  of  confidence  and  hope, 
and  they  strike  a  good  gait  for  a  while,  and  every- 
thing looks  bright  ahead.  They  make  great  plans, 
indulge  high  aims  and  ideals,  but  the  wear  and  tear  of 
friction,  the  worry  and  trouble  of  opposition,  insepar- 
able from  great  exertion  and  large  independent  achieve- 
ments, are  too  much  for  them.  They  can't  stand  the 
strain.  They  fret  and  worry  and  weaken,  and  at  last 
throw  up  the  sponge,  disappointed,  disgruntled — beaten. 
"What's  the  use?"  they  exclaim.  "The  game's  not 
worth  the  candle." 

Here  comes  the  test  of  staying  power,  the  test  of  the 
struggle  with  self.  There's  a  way  out  of  every  diffi- 
culty, a  way  to  surmount  every  obstacle.  It's  up  to 
us  at  such  a  time  to  find  it  and  make  good.  Don't 
look  for  or  expect  relief  outside  yourself.  It's  strictly 
a  personal  affair.  In  any  case,  don't  give  up  the  fight. 
Rub  up  your  dimmed  eyes,  stir  up  your  tired  intellect, 
clear  your  vision  so  you  can  once  more  look  steadily  on 
your  aim.  You  are  in  danger  if  you  lose  sight  of  it. 
You're  hopeless  if  you  give  up  the  fight. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 81 

"A  little  more  persistence,  courage,  vim, 
Success  will  dawn  o'er  fortune's  cloudy  rim. 
There's  no  defeat,  in  truth,  save  from  within, 
Unless  you're  beaten  there  you're  bound  to  win." 

This  business  of  ours  is  a  strenuous  one,  and  every 
little  while  I  hear  of  some  promising  one — tired  of  the 
struggle,  dropping  out,  and  nothing  disappoints  me 
more,  for  we  want  the  promising  ones  to  stay  and 
make  good. 

Sometimes  I  wonder  if  the  pace  is  not  getting  too 
swift,  and  if  we  are  wrong  in  putting  so  much  effort 
into  our  work — but  I  can't  believe  it.  We  might  just 
as  well  say  that  the  great  man  who  operates  from  the 
White  House  at  Washington,  and  sets  the  pace  for  us  all, 
is  wrong.     We  are  but  following  his  inspiring  example. 

Hang  on.     Hang  on.     It  is  worth  while. 


82 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

COURTESY  IN  BUSINESS 

[1907] 

!N  the  tremendous  haste  and  bustle  with 
which  business  in  these  strenuous  days 
is  transacted  there  is,  I  think,  a  natural 
tendency  to  overlook  that  courtesy  and 
politeness  which  were  more  common  in 

the  earlier  days  when  business  was  done  on  a  smaller 

scale  and  in  a  quieter  way. 

The  tendency  when  one  is  busy  is  to  be  short  and 
impatient,  if  not  gruff  and  rude.  We  are  inclined  in 
the  rush  of  our  work  to  feel  there  is  no  time  for  the 
formalities  of  politeness  and  courtesy.  But  this  is  a 
great  mistake.  Courtesy  and  politeness  should  never 
be  wanting  under  any  conditions.  They  are  appreci- 
ated by  everyone,  and  stamp  at  once  the  character 
of  the  man. 

There  is  really  no  excuse  for  a  lack  of  courtesy  in 
business,  for  business  is  largely  a  matter  of  good-will 
and  confidence;  and  courtesy  promotes  good-will  and 
inspires  confidence — and  it  costs  nothing.  Everyone 
can  be  attentive,  considerate  and  polite  towards  those 
with  whom  they  come  in  contact.  It's  a  matter  of 
habit;  and  we  who  are  in  business  should  make  it  our 
business  to  acquire  the  habit.  We  should  at  all  times 
strive  to  please.     It  is  not  enough  to  be  civil. 

I  am  sometimes  afraid  that  in  our  busy  offices,  where 
everyone  is  rushed  with  the  large  amount  of  work  that 
daily  presses  upon  us,  we  are  in  danger  of  overlooking 
this  important  matter  of  courtesy  which  should  be 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 83 

shown  to  all  with  whom  we  come  in  contact  in 
our  work,  whether  it  be  by  personal  touch,  telephone 
or  correspondence. 

I  sometimes  hear  complaints  of  our  telephone  service 
or  of  lack  of  courteous  attention  to  customers  and 
strangers  calling  on  us.  I  know  these  complaints  are 
often  not  well  founded.  But  I  am  afraid  we  are  some- 
times guilty,  and  it's  no  wonder,  when,  by  reason  of 
our  rapid  growth,  we  are  constantly  adding  new,  un- 
trained help ;  and  because  of  the  strenuousness  of  our 
work  we  are  so  much  rushed.  But  let  us  be  careful — 
better  go  slower  if  necessary  than  lose  the  good  reputa- 
tion we  have  enjoyed  as  a  business  house  for  courtesy 
in  our  dealings.  Let  us  by  all  means  keep  up  the 
standard,  and  strive  to  improve  on  it. 

The  best  way  to  form  the  habit  of  courtesy  in  business 
is  to  practice  it  in  our  homes,  among  our  friends  and 
associates — everywhere.  I  tell  you  the  man  who  can 
acquire  a  pleasing,  affable  manner  and  a  cheerful, 
courteous  disposition  has  a  great  advantage  over  the 
one  who  lacks  these  things.  And  it's  the  same  with  a 
business.  The  concern  that  does  its  business  not  only 
fairly,  but  pleasantly  and  courteously,  holds  its  old 
friends  and  attracts  new  ones.  The  service  must  be 
good  and  of  high  quality,  as  well  as  the  products. 
Let  us  remember  this  in  all  our  work,  so  we  may  be- 
come just  as  jealous  of  our  reputation  for  courtesy  and 
politeness,  within  and  without  the  Company,  as  we  are 
of  our  reputation  for  the  quality  of  our  goods. 


84 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

MARCHING  ORDERS 

[1907] 

J  HE  way  to  get  business  is  to  go  after  it." 
This  is  to  be  the  battle  cry  of  the  delayed 
campaign  about  to  begin,  and  these  are 
your  marching  orders. 

We  will  commence  January  6th  the 
fight  of  our  lives.  We  have  been  in  enforced  idleness 
for  two  months,  and  we  want  to  make  it  up,  and  I 
believe  we  can.  Attached  to  this  bulletin  you  will 
find  our  views  of  the  recent  upheaval  in  business.  We 
have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  time  has  arrived 
for  action;  and  I  never  was  more  confident  of  any- 
thing in  my  life  than  I  am  that  now  the  command 
has  been  given  we  will  make  good.  We  must  make 
good.  The  conditions  warrant  our  making  good. 
We  have  left  our  trade  alone  for  two  months,  and 
their  stocks  have  been  running  down.  It's  time  they 
got  ready,  as  well  as  we,  for  the  trade  that  can  be  had 
by  going  after  it  right.  We  don't  deny  it  may  be  a 
little  harder  to  get  for  a  while,  because  of  the  lack  of 
courage  and  confidence  that  will  continue  to  afflict  the 
timid  for  a  time,  but  it's  up  to  you,  by  your  own  con- 
fidence, energy  and  enthusiasm,  backed  by  knowledge 
and  intelligence,  to  inject  sufficient  nerve  into  your 
trade  to  induce  their  usual  liberal  orders. 

We  don't  want  to  unduly  load  any  man,  but  we  feel 
our  agents  are  warranted  in  anticipating  their  wants 
now,  as  we  are  likely  to  be  crowded  in  our  factories 
in  the  Spring  on  account  of  the  time  we  have  lost.  We 
are  confident  there  is  no  prospect  of  lower  prices,  for 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 85 

the  profits  of  the  paint  trade  last  year  were  the  lowest 
we  have  any  record  of,  and  any  reductions  in  raw 
materials  will  be  needed  to  restore  reasonable  margins. 
With  a  good  demand  linseed  oil  will  be  higher,  as  the 
1907  flax  crop  is  not  nearly  as  large  as  was  expected. 
The  decline  in  white  lead  is  unimportant,  and  it  is  not 
likely  to  go  lower.  There  has  been  no  reduction  in 
the  price  of  zinc  oxide.  We  have  absolutely  no  idea  of 
reducing  prices,  as  our  margin  of  profit  based  on  present 
market  prices  will  not  permit  it. 

Our  goods  are  better  than  ever  they  were,  and  our 
proposition  is  stronger  than  ever  it  was.  We  are 
ready  to  help  you  and  to  help  our  agents  to  the  fullest 
extent  of  our  ability  and  capacity.  We  are  dead  in 
earnest  in  our  intention  and  determination  to  make 
the  1908  campaign  the  greatest  of  them  all.  It  can't 
be  done  by  talking  or  "hot  air."  We  know  that;  and 
this  bulletin  will  not  count  for  anything  unless  backed 
by  action.  I  cannot  go  into  details  of  our  plans  in  this 
limited  space,  but  they  will  be  revealed  to  you  through 
the  proper  channels  as  we  move  along  in  the  march. 

We  are  very  much  alive  to  the  needs  of  the  times, 
and  you  can  count  on  us,  and  so  can  your  agents,  to 
help  you  in  your  work.  Do  your  part,  and  we'll  do 
ours.  Clean  up  the  territories  as  you  go.  Work  every 
possibility  with  your  old-time  eagerness  and  energy, 
and  we'll  take  the  chances  on  the  results;  but  results 
we  must  have.  This  is  a  time  when  every  man  must  be 
a  producer.  We  cannot  carry  any  "dead  loads"  this 
year.  Every  worker  must  be  a  live  one,  and  we  hope 
to  keep  the  ranks  unbroken. 


86 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

Now  I  might  write  pages  and  quote  endless  figures 
to  show  why  and  how  we  can  make  good  our  aims, 
but  I  believe  you  gentlemen  are  posted  and  I  believe 
you  know  what  we  expect  of  you ;  and  I  am  going  to 
put  my  faith  in  you,  and  as  I  have  never  been  dis- 
appointed in  you  in  the  past,  I  am  sure  I  won't  be  now. 
Go  out  and  do  your  best,  and  you  are  sure  to  win ;  and 
may  your  work  be  pleasant  and  the  year  a  happy  one 
is  my  sincere  wish  to  you  all. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES  87 


THE  RECENT  PANIC 

1908] 

jMERICA  is  a  great  and  an  extraordinary 
country.  Whatever  she  does,  she  does 
in  a  big  way.  No  other  country  has 
ever  done  as  many  big  and  extraordinary 
things  as  she  has.  When  she  goes  in 
for  a  panic  it's  a  good  one;  not  a  little  flurry,  not  a 
little  storm,  but  a  good,  stiff  hurricane — one  worthy  of 
her  vastness  and  her  gigantic  force. 

Big  storms,  while  extremely  severe  at  the  time, 
don't  last  long.  They  usually  leave  some  wreckage 
behind,  it's  true,  but  the  worst  is  soon  over.  The 
clouds  quickly  pass  and  the  sun  shines  for  all  once 
more,  and  we  feel  better  for  it  and  appreciate  more 
fully  the  daily  blessings  we  enjoy. 

The  great  financial  hurricane  that  has  swept  across 
the  land  is  over.  It  will  take  a  little  time  to  clear  away 
the  debris,  but  not  long,  for  the  wreckage  has  not  been 
great,  and  the  warm  sun  of  prosperity  will  soon  repair 
what  damage  has  been  done. 

Let  me  repeat,  America  is  a  great  country,  and  al- 
ways does  big  and  extraordinary  things — this  is  the 
proof  of  her  genius ;  and  just  as  the  panic  stunned  us 
all  with  its  fearful  suddenness  and  frightful  severity,  I 
believe,  now  that  it  has  passed,  we  will  have  an  ex- 
hibition of  the  country's  great  stability  and  recupera- 
tive powers  that  will  astonish  the  world  as  much  as  the 
panic  did. 

It  is  idle  to  say  there  was  no  reason  for  the  financial 
disturbance    that    has    dislocated    the   trade    of   the 


88 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

country.  It  is  senseless  to  blame  any  one  man  or 
any  one  thing  for  it.  The  truth  of  the  matter  is  the 
country  has  been  over-trading,  by  reason  of  too  rapid 
expansion.  The  growth  of  business  has  been  out  of 
proportion  to  the  increase  in  currency.  There  has 
been  more  business  than  money.  The  funds  were  not 
sufficient  to  go  around,  and  the  only  way  to  make  the 
money  go  around  was  to  reduce  the  need  of  it,  and  that 
had  to  come  through  liquidation.  Liquidation  re- 
vealed the  weak  spots;  then  the  crash  came;  confi- 
dence was  shattered,  and  the  universal  mistrust  that 
followed  led  to  hoarding.  Money,  which  lubricates  the 
wheels  of  commerce,  having  dried  up,  the  wheels 
had  to  stop. 

We  have  had  two  months  of  liquidation,  and  values 
are  now  down  to  a  point  where  people  are  willing  to 
take  hold  again.  Money  is  slowly  seeking  its  proper 
functions  once  more,  and  only  requires  to  be  encour- 
aged to  come  forth  in  volumes.  The  great  restorative 
is  confidence,  and  confidence  can  only  be  created  by  the 
exercise  of  sane  and  safe  business  methods.  The  big 
financial  men  of  the  country  know  this,  and  I  believe 
all  business  will  now  be  done  on  a  sounder  basis  than 
ever  before. 

Remember,  this  has  been  a  money  panic,  not  a 
hard  times  panic.  We  have  suffered  not  from  want  of 
business,  but  from  too  much  business.  We  have  seen 
that  too  great  prosperity  can  wreck  trade,  as  it  often 
does  an  individual;  and  he  is  a  thoughtless  business 
man  who  fails  to  learn  the  lesson. 

I  can  say  for  our  Company,  we  believe  the  worst  is 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 89 

over.  We  believe  there  will  be  a  steady  progress 
towards  complete  recovery.  Our  belief  is  based  on 
the  fact  that  values  are  again  down  to  reasonable 
figures  and  that  there  is  now  more  money  in  the 
country  than  ever  before.  Our  vast  crops,  the  most 
valuable  in  the  history  of  the  country,  are  being  mar- 
keted at  high  prices;  our  exports  are  growing  in  greater 
proportion  to  imports;  and  the  balance  of  foreign  trade 
is  greatly  in  our  favor.  Confidence  is  rapidly  being 
restored.  The  country  is  not  only  as  sound  as  ever  it 
was,  but  sounder. 

There  can  be  no  better  proof  of  great  stability  of  the 
nation  than  the  splendid  way  in  which  it  has  come 
through  the  terrific  storm  that  has  swept  over  it.  The 
genius  of  the  American  business  men  has  been  equal  to 
the  strain,  and  it  will  be  equal  to  the  task  of  recovering 
from  its  effects. 

It's  up  to  every  patriotic,  enterprising  business  man 
and  concern  to  do  their  part  in  restoring  confidence, 
by  taking  up  once  more  in  an  active  and  intelligent 
manner  the  work  that  has  been  temporarily  inter- 
rupted. This  done,  conditions  will  soon  become  nor- 
mal, and  that  prosperity  which  we  have  long  been 
accustomed  to  and  which  is  the  fair  reward  of  energy 
and  ability  in  a  wonderfully  productive  land,  will  soon 
become  general  again  and  stir  us  to  new  and  greater 
achievements. 

This  Company  is  going  to  do  its  part. 


90 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

GREAT  FIGHTERS 

[1908] 

[HE  whole  world  admires  a  fighter.  We 
can't  help  admiring  even  a  man  whose 
cause  may  not  be  the  best,  but  who 
stands  up  like  a  warrior,  faces  the  issues 
that  confront  him,  and  fights  with 
boldness  and  courage  until  he  conquers — or  dies 
in  the  attempt.  Courage  invincible  is  a  magnificent 
quality.  Strife  and  struggle  are  the  common  lot  of 
man.    Ability  and  endurance  to  conquer  decide  success. 

On  January  the  sixth,  we  of  this  fighting  organiza- 
tion started  out  to  make  the  "fight  of  our  lives."  We 
well  knew  it  was  no  skirmish  that  was  ahead  of  us,  but 
a  fight  to  a  finish.  We're  still  in  the  fight — in  the  very 
thick  of  it — and  we're  gaining  ground  fast.  We  see 
nothing  ahead  but  victory;  and  will  never  leave  the 
field  of  battle  until  we  have  wrested  from  her  fairly 
the  conqueror's  crown. 

This  has  been  the  spirit  of  our  campaign  thus  far, 
and  will  continue  to  be,  I  am  sure,  to  the  end.  It's 
the  only  thing  that  will  bring  us  through  successfully 
this  year,  for  the  fight  is  hard  enough — no  denying 
that;  but  we're  gaining  ground  steadily  and  surely, 
and  we're  proud  of  the  men  at  the  front.  There  have 
been  no  "quitters"  so  far,  and  we  want  to  see  every 
man  "in  at  the  finish."  There  have  been  but  few 
"squealers."  Every  man  seems  to  understand  this  is 
not  a  time  for  excuses,  or  even  for  explanations.  We 
know  about  the  difficulties — they're  severe.    What  we 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 91 

want  to  do  is  to  overcome  them.  The  work  is  there. 
It  must  be  done.     It's  up  to  us  to  do  it. 

The  men  who  are  doing  it  are  not  talking  or  writing 
— they  have  no  time.  Let  me  tell  you  the  workers  are 
not  all  at  the  front.  The  home  guard  are  at  it  early 
and  late,  scheming,  planning  and  working  to  follow  up 
every  inch  of  ground  gained.  Nothing  is  getting  past 
us.  Send  along  the  orders,  and,  when  you  dan't  send 
these,  give  us  some  prospect  to  work  on,  and  if  there's 
a  shadow  of  a  chance  I'll  guarantee  we'll  land  him 
sooner  or  later. 

We  still  hear  of  pessimists  and  croakers,  but  I  don't 
know  of  any  in  this  organization.  If  you're  looking  for 
condolence,  we're  a  poor  crowd  to  come  to ;  but  if  you 
seek  encouragement,  we  can  hand  it  out  to  you,  for 
we're  optimists,  enthusiasts  and  boosters  all.  Keep 
up  the  fight,  and  take  pleasure  in  your  work.  There's 
nothing  can  compare  with  the  joy  of  winning  out 
against  heavy  odds.  Remember  again,  "A  dead  fish 
can  float  with  the  stream,  but  it  takes  a  live  one  to 
swim  against  it." 


92 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

MEDIOCRITY 

[1908] 

|T  isn't  often  that  I  use  large  or  unusual 
words,  as  I  am  a  great  believer  in  the 
short,  simple  ones.  They  seem  to  me 
to  express  in  the  clearest  and  most 
forcible  manner  the  thoughts  we  wish 
to  give  utterance  to.  However,  I  don't  know  of  any 
other  word  that  defines  so  well  what  I  want  to  write 
about  as  the  one  that  stands  at  the  head  of  this  article. 

Mediocrity  means  a  middle  state  or  degree.  It 
means  average,  or  a  little  less  than  average.  A 
mediocre  person  is  one  of  moderate  capacity  or  ability 
— of  little  note  or  repute. 

The  greatest  stumbling  block  to  development  of 
capacity  and  ability  is  the  contentment  of  men  and 
women  with  mediocrity.  They  are  satisfied  if  they 
reach  average  conditions.  They're  not  willing  to  put 
forth  that  extra  effort  necessary  to  pull  away  from  the 
crowd — to  rise  above  the  average.  They  become  tired 
of  the  struggle  and  cry  out  pitifully,  "What's  the  use  ? 
What's  the  good  ?  I'm  not  going  to  kill  myself  trying 
to  get  ahead  further — I'm  doing  well  enough." 

Poor  souls.  They  fail  to  realize  that  the  only  real 
satisfaction  in  life  is  growth  and  progress;  that  the 
whole  purpose  of  life  is  self-development;  that  when 
we  give  up  the  struggle  we  invite  decay.  We  deceive 
ourselves  if  we  imagine  happiness  is  to  be  found  in 
ease  or  comfort  or  idleness.     It  lies  in  the  desire  and 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 93 

effort   for   improvement — in   equipping   ourselves   for 
bigger  and  greater  things. 

When  I  speak  of  growth  and  development,  I  do  not 
mean  simply  material  advancement,  making  of  more 
dollars,  or  acquiring  of  more  fame.  I  mean  the 
development  of  all  our  powers ;  I  mean  the  making  of  a 
career;  the  building  of  a  personality.  These  are  the 
only  things  worthy  of  our  finest  efforts.  No,  my 
friends,  mediocrity  won't  do.  It  falls  short.  It  fails  to 
satisfy.  Reach  out.   Strike  high.  Strike  for  supremacy. 

I  am  glad  to  think  our  Company  is  not  in  the  medi- 
ocre class.  I  am  glad  we  have  been  equal  to  the  task 
of  pulling  away  from  the  crowd.  We  enjoy  the  top- 
most place  in  our  line,  but  we  have  no  right  to  be 
satisfied,  for,  after  all,  compared  with  the  great  corpora- 
tions at  the  head  of  other  industries,  such  as  steel,  or 
transportation,  or  sugar,  or  tobacco,  our  achievements 
are  comparatively  small. 

I  have  always  had  unlimited  faith  in  the  paint  and 
varnish  business.  There  is  no  reason  why  we  should 
not  develop  it  into  one  of  the  very  greatest  industries  of 
the  country.  We  shouldn't  be  satisfied  until  we  do. 
The  field  is  open.  The  possibilities  are  vast.  It's 
entirely  a  matter  of  intelligent,  persistent  work,  effi- 
ciently organized  and  directed.  It  depends  upon  our- 
selves, and  by  far  the  most  important  element  in  our 
work  is  to  keep  alive  in  our  organization  the  spirit  of 
development,  progress  and  improvement,  and  to  stamp 
out  self-satisfaction.    As  long  as  we  grow  better  we 


94 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

will  become  greater.  Let  merit  in  all  things  be  the 
guide  of  our  ambition  and  there  will  be  no  danger  of 
our  becoming  satisfied  with  mediocrity  in  anything. 
I  can't  imagine  an  out-and-out,  genuine  Sherwin- 
Williams  man  with  ambition  so  limited  that  he  would 
be  satisfied  with  mere  mediocrity.     Can  you  ? 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 95 

THE  SUCCESS  OF  OUR  GREATEST 

CAMPAIGN 

[1908J 

|S  our  Panic  Campaign  draws  to  a  close 
I  cannot  help  but  reflect  on  the  immense 
amount  of  ground  we  have  covered  and 
the  splendid  achievements  we  have 
accomplished  in  the  face  of  many  obsti- 
nate difficulties,  since  we  took  up  the  fight  on  January 
6th  last. 

I  will  never  forget  the  great  start  we  made  on  that 
date,  and  the  magnificent  response  of  the  men  in  the 
field  to  my  bulletin,  "Marching  Orders."  I  well  re- 
member how  eager  and  anxious  we  were  for  the  fray — 
how  ready  to  make  the  fight  of  our  lives.  We  were 
positive  we  could  make  good  and  every  man,  I  believe, 
was  delighted  with  the  opportunity  to  show  by  deeds 
our  great  pride  in  the  institution  we  have  all  worked 
so  hard  to  establish  on  a  sound  and  creditable  basis. 
It  was  a  grand  occasion  and  a  great  opportunity  for  a 
fighting  force  like  ours,  and  we  went  at  it  with  that 
"do  or  die"  spirit  which  always  wins. 

As  I  look  back  at  it  all  now  I  feel  proud  of  our 
organization,  and  I  can  truthfully  say  that,  not- 
withstanding many  difficulties,  some  disappointments 
and  considerable  anxiety,  I  have  enjoyed  it  immensely 
and  am  thankful  to  say  at  the  finish  of  it,  I  never  felt 
better  in  my  life. 

I  want  to  sincerely  thank  the  men  in  the  field  and  the 
staff  at  home  for  their  splendid  work.     With  all  my 


96 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

heart  I  say,  well  done,  well  done.  YouVe  made  good 
and  we're  proud  of  you. 

I  have  never  seen  anything  like  such  application, 
such  perseverance,  courage  and  loyalty  in  all  my  busi- 
ness experience,  and  I  want  to  tell  you  that  what  you 
have  done  and  the  way  you  did  it  has  raised  the  reputa- 
tion and  the  general  standing  of  our  grand  old  Com- 
pany immeasurably.  The  fine  record  we  have  made 
in  these  difficult  times  has  justified  the  confidence  of 
our  friends  and  supporters  and  has  called  forth  the 
admiration  of  all  who  know  us.  Our  position  in  the 
world  of  commerce,  because  of  our  plucky  and  suc- 
cessful fight,  is  stronger  and  surer  than  ever  it  was,  and 
we  are  going  to  do  bigger  and  greater  things  in  the  near 
future  than  we  have  done  in  the  past. 

I  am  happy  to  think  we  have  been  able  to  keep  the 
staff  practically  unbroken,  and  I  am  glad  now  that  the 
prospects  are  so  much  brighter;  we  can  look  forward 
to  more  favorable  conditions  and  the  return  of  the  good 
days  of  prosperity;  and  I  am  sure  we  will  never  be 
unmindful  of  the  magnificent  service  so  willingly  and 
enthusiastically  rendered. 

The  old  campaign  is  over  and  plans  for  a  new  one  are 
already  made.  I  leave  it  to  others  to  outline  them  to 
you,  feeling  sure  in  this  case,  as  always,  that  you  will 
respond  with  the  best  that  is  in  you,  and  that  new  and 
larger  success  will  crown  our  further  efforts. 

With  best  wishes,  and  looking  forward  with  great 
pleasure  and  high  expectations  to  joining  the  campaign 
on  my  return  to  headquarters  in  the  Fall. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 97 

BUSINESS  ABILITY 

'HERE  are  two  kinds  of  ability,  natural 
ability  and  acquired  ability.  I  have 
more  faith  in  the  latter  than  the  former 
on  the  principle  that  what  comes  easy, 
goes  easy,  and  what  you  get  by  hard 
knocks  usually  sticks.  It  is  a  fortunate  thing  for  the 
majority  of  us  that  ability  can  be  acquired.  It 
is  gained  by  experience  and  study,  by  doing  things 
over  and  over  again  and  watching  the  results,  by  learn- 
ing how  not  to  make  the  same  mistake  twice,  and  how  to 
follow  up  and  develop  each  successful  action.  The 
very  best  way  to  get  ability  is  to  do  thoroughly  what- 
ever you  do.  Master  every  detail  of  each  piece  of 
work  that  falls  to  your  lot.  Really  the  genius  of  suc- 
cess is  nothing  more  than  doing  well  whatever  you  do. 
If  this  rule  is  followed  you  cannot  fail  to  develop  ability 
of  some  kind,  and  how  great  your  ability  becomes  is 
largely  dependent  upon  your  capacity  for  learning. 
But  remember  this,  it  is  much  better  and  vastly  more 
profitable  to  know  how  to  do  a  few  things  well  than  to 
do  a  great  many  things  indifferently.  Be  a  specialist 
in  something,  and  then  take  on,  besides,  all  you  can. 
It  is  the  man  who  learns  to  do  some  one  thing  better 
than  it  has  ever  been  done  before  who  wins  the  prize. 
Practice,  constant  practice,  is  the  only  way  to  acquire 
sound  business  ability. 

With  practice  and  experience  come  good  judgment. 
Good  business  judgment  is  nothing  more  than  apply- 
ing to  your  work  the  sound  principles  you  have  learned 


98 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

by  hard  experience.  There's  not  much  chance  for  a 
man  to  display  judgment  unless  he  has  been  through 
the  mill  himself.  I  believe  there  is  such  a  thing  as 
business  instinct,  by  which  some  men  seem  to  know 
intuitively  the  right  decision  and  the  psychological 
moment  for  action.  But  I  also  believe  that  this  power 
can  be  acquired  by  studious  experience.  The  very  best 
way  to  gain  business  ability  is  to  dig  deep  down  into 
every  transaction  you  handle,  and  find  out  the  reason 
for  it.  Investigate,  analyze,  study.  Do  not  be  con- 
tent to  do  things  by  rule  alone ;  know  the  why  and  the 
wherefore  of  them.  Master  every  position  which  you 
occupy  and  learn  as  much  as  you  can  about  the  one 
just  ahead  of  you.  Let  your  watchwords  be:  Develop- 
ment, improvement,  progress.  Take  stock  of  yourself 
very  frequently,  and  find  out  if  you  are  developing,  im- 
proving and  getting  ahead,  and  if  you  are  not,  find  out 
the  reason  and  do  not  blame  any  one  but  yourself,  for 
development  and  improvement  depend  upon  yourself, 
and  yourself  alone.  Get  these  things  into  line  and 
nothing  will  stop  your  progress,  for  in  business  the  de- 
mand for  exceptional  ability  is  always  greater  than 
the  supply. 

My  faith  in  man's  ability  to  learn  is  so  great  I  believe 
with  energy  and  perseverance  he  can  fit  himself  for  any 
kind  of  position.  I  believe  he  can  be  practically  what 
he  wants  to  be,  if  he  is  willing  to  pay  the  price.  Great 
success  demands  a  great  price.  The  things  worth 
having  in  this  world  all  command  high  prices,  and 
must  be  striven  for.  It  is  through  tremendous  striving 
that  we  develop.     If  there  was  nothing  to  strive  for 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 99 

we  would  not  exert  ourselves,  and  without  exertion 
there  would  be  no  development,  no  growth. 

Ability  is  the  award  of  patient,  tireless,  dogged 
perseverance.  Its  acquirement  is  worth  a  mighty 
effort,  for  it  is  by  the  exercise  of  it  that  men  gain  power, 
fame  and  riches  in  business. 

A  great  aid  in  acquiring  business  ability  is  to  study 
successful  men  and  successful  methods.  There's  a 
reason  for  every  man's  success,  and  a  knowledge  of 
how  the  great  men  of  business — the  captains  of  in- 
dustry— have  won  their  positions  cannot  fail  to  in- 
terest as  well  as  instruct  those  who  indulge  an  ambi- 
tion to  follow  in  their  footsteps.  The  more  you  study 
the  biographies  of  successful  men  and  their  methods, 
the  better  you  will  understand  that  there  is  less  of 
genius  and  mystery  in  their  make-up  and  more  of 
every-day  common  sense  and  hard  work  than  is  gen- 
erally thought. 

In  the  development  of  one's  business  ability,  it  is  im- 
portant to  ascertain  as  early  as  possible  your  natural 
points  of  strength,  so  you  can  work  in  that  direction. 
Most  men  are  cut  out  for  some  one  particular  kind  of 
work  more  than  another,  and  a  man's  best  chance  is  to 
follow  the  career  for  which  nature  intended  him.  And 
remember  always  that  it  is  better  to  be  a  success  in 
something,  even  if  it  is  short  of  your  desires,  than  to 
attempt  more  than  you  are  capable  of  and  fail  at  it. 
Human  effort  has  its  limitations,  and  that  man  is  the 
wisest  who  finds  his  limits  and  succeeds  within  them, 
rather  than  to  aim  at  something  outside  his  range  which 
he  can  never  reach.    When  a  man  has  made  the  most 


loo  EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

of  what  he  is,  he  has  won  success,  and  nothing  short  of 
it  should  satisfy  him. 

In  business  watch  your  competitors.  Never  for  an 
instant  allow  yourself  to  entertain  the  idea  that  you 
are  above  or  superior  to  competition.  The  successful 
general  is  the  one  who  rather  over-estimates  than 
under-estimates  the  strength  of  the  enemy,  and  pre- 
pares for  the  worst.  No  one  man  or  concern  has  a 
monopoly  of  all  the  best  brains  and  methods.  He  is  a 
mighty  smart  one  who  can  acquire  a  little  more  than 
the  average.  Let  competition  be  an  incentive  to  your 
energy  and  ambition.  Give  the  other  fellow  a  fair, 
square  deal  and  beat  him  out  on  your  merits. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 101 

THE  TITLE  OF  "PRESIDENT" 

[1909] 

jHILE  there  really  is  no  change  in  the 
duties  of  the  office,  in  working  under 
the  title  of  President  I  can't  help  but 
feel  an  added  pride  mingled  with  a  deep 
sense  of  responsibility  in  connection 
with  my  work. 

My  pride  is  great  because  I  regard  the  position  the 
highest  in  the  paint  and  varnish  field  of  the  world,  and 
it's  one  that  long  ago  I  solemnly  resolved  to  some 
day  reach. 

The  responsibility  I  feel  heaviest  is  maintaining  the 
high  reputation  our  Company  has  enjoyed  under  the 
guidance  and  presidency  of  the  honored  and  beloved 
founder  of  the  business,  Mr.  Sherwin.  That  good 
reputation  I  have  resolved  must  be  preserved  above 
everything,  and  it  will  give  me  greater  happiness  than 
anything  else  if  I  can  add  even  a  little  to  it. 

It's  an  easy  enough  matter  to  go  on  increasing  sales, 
building  new  plants,  establishing  and  developing  new 
auxiliaries,  and  making  more  money.  All  this  I  am 
very  certain  we  can  do,  for  we  have  one  of  the  finest 
business  organizations  in  the  world;  but  it  becomes 
constantly  more  difficult  as  a  business  grows  to  large 
proportions  to  maintain  it  on  a  meritorious  and  credit- 
able basis.  Success  so  often  and  so  easily  spoils  us; 
we  become  too  self-confident,  too  self-sufficient  and, 
will  I  say,  too  grasping  and  selfish. 

These,  then,  are  the  things  that  we  must  guard 


io2 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

against  in  the  rapid  pace  at  which  we  are  forging  ahead. 
I  don't  want  to  slacken  the  pace.  I  believe  in  the 
strenuous  life,  and  I  want  to  see  the  business  and  all 
who  are  contributing  to  its  welfare  go  on  and  develop 
to  the  greatest  possible  extent, — but  only  on  the  basis 
of  our  growing  better  as  well  as  larger. 

My  fondest  desire  for  this  business  is  that  it  shall 
more  and  more  become  an  institution  that  will  afford 
the  largest  number  of  people  we  can  employ  a  place 
where  they  will  secure  a  good,  sound  business  training 
that  will  help  them  to  make  of  their  lives  a  genu- 
ine success. 

There  is  another  thought  I  like  to  indulge,  and  that 
is  that  just  as  a  man  finds  his  greatest  happiness  in  a 
good  home,  I  like  to  feel  that  those  who  work  with  this 
Company  shall  find  here  their  next  greatest  happiness, 
because  of  its  being  a  good  Company. 

One  of  the  difficulties  I  have  always  felt  in  corpora- 
tion management  is  the  fact  that  the  management  is 
obliged  to  serve  two  interests,  which,  while  they 
should  be  mutual,  are  not  always  so — the  stockholders 
and  the  staff.  The  stockholders  want  the  largest 
dividends,  and  the  staff  the  largest  compensation. 
A  fair  and  just  regulation  of  these  two  factors  is 
the  most  difficult  feature,  in  my  opinion,  of 
corporation  management. 

Personally,  I  feel  when  the  staff  is  fairly  treated  the 
stockholders  are  best  served,  and  I  wish  all  to  know 
that  we  aim  to  treat  the  staff  with  consideration  and 
fairness  at  all  times;  and  by  that  I  mean  providing 
pleasant  and  agreeable  surroundings  and  a  fair  reward 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES ^03 

to  each  on  his  or  her  individual  merits.  The  merit 
system  is  the  only  one  I  believe  in,  and  I  would  like 
every  one  to  feel  that  they  require  no  pull  other  than 
their  own  merit  to  progress  in  the  service. 

I  would  like  also  to  have  those  who  are  growing  old 
in  the  service,  and  have  done  and  are  doing  faithful 
work,  feel  that  when  their  strength  fails  them  the 
management  will  not  desert  them. 

And  now  I  would  just  like  to  add  that  I  will  devote 
myself  earnestly  to  the  task  of  filling  this  office  in  a 
manner  fair  alike  to  the  stockholders  and  the  staff. 
I  will  do  all  I  can  to  keep  up,  and  improve  where 
possible,  the  quality  of  our  products,  and  in  striving  to 
turn  out  the  best  paints  and  varnishes  and  other  ma- 
terials in  our  line  I  hope  we  will  also  turn  out,  what  is 
far  more  important,  the  best  men  and  women  in 
our  line. 

Knowing  well  it's  not  possible  to  please  everyone,  I'll 
strive  to  do  my  best  without  fear  or  favor  for  all,  and  I 
ask  everyone  in  the  organization  for  indulgence  in  my 
weaknesses  and  support  in  my  efforts  to  preserve  and 
enhance  the  good  name  of  our  Company. 


io4 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

THE  FIGHT  IS  ON 

[1910] 

[FTER  the  best  holiday  I  have  ever  had 
in  my  life,  I  have  returned  to  my  work 
on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  with  re- 
newed vigor,  increased  energy,  and  with 
no  loss  of  enthusiasm. 

We  are  all  ready  to  wage  the  hottest  and  the  greatest 
campaign  for  business  that  we  have  ever  been  engaged 
in.  That  we  will  win  out  with  new  records  and  new 
honors  there  is  not  the  shadow  of  a  doubt. 

Difficulties  confront  us,  that  is  sure;  but  they  are 
not  by  any  means  insurmountable.  They  must  be 
carefully  studied  and  a  definite,  effective  plan  laid  to 
meet  and  master  them.  We  must  bring  to  bear  on  the 
present  problems  all  our  intelligence,  all  our  ability, 
all  our  energy  and  all  our  facilities,  and  keep 
at  our  work  with  undiminished  confidence  and 
genuine  enthusiasim. 

After  all,  the  only  real  obstacle  in  our  way  is  high 
prices.  These  high  prices  are  not  the  result  of  manipu- 
lation or  combination.  They  have  been  produced  by 
natural  causes.  No  one  is  to  blame  for  them.  The 
supply  of  flaxseed  is  short  the  world  over,  and  the  de- 
mand is  large.  The  high  prices  are  here  to  stay  for  a 
considerable  time.  The  wise  man  will  accept  the 
present  position  as  inevitable,  and  he  will  go  to  work 
and  make  the  most  of  it.  He  will  not  stand  around 
slackening  his  efforts,  awaiting  lower  prices.  If  he 
does,  his  more  intelligent  and  enterprising  competitor 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 105 

will  walk  off  with  the  business.  The  thing  we  must  do 
and  get  our  agents  to  do  is  to  buckle  down  to  the 
present  conditions  and  do  business. 

We  must  keep  up  our  nerve,  take  our  medicine, 
stock  up,  and  go  to  work  and  sell.  Our  agents  must 
do  likewise.  Building  is  not  going  to  stop,  factories 
are  not  going  to  close  down,  the  public  are  not  going  to 
be  foolishly  economical.  The  prosperity  of  this  country 
is  on  too  sound  a  basis  to  permit  of  such  a  thing.  Just 
because  the  paint  business  is  disturbed  by  present 
conditions,  don't  for  an  instant  imagine  the  general 
prosperity  of  the  nation  is  going  to  be  affected. 

And  remember  this,  paints  and  varnishes  are  staples, 
not  luxuries.  It's  wasteful  and  uneconomical  not  to 
use  paint  and  varnish.  When  insurance  rates  advance 
property  owners  do  not  leave  their  property  uninsured. 
They  may  kick  at  the  high  rates,  but  they  wisely  pay 
the  premiums  just  the  same.  Paints  and  varnishes 
protect  and  improve  property,  and  it's  more  expensive 
even  at  present  prices  not  to  paint  than  to  paint. 
The  wise  man  will  pay  the  price,  and  the  intelligent 
merchant  will  make  ready  to  supply  him. 

There  is  one  thing  I  feel  absolutely  certain  about, 
and  that  is,  if  we  will  all  grasp  this  situation  aright, 
and  become  imbued  with  the  soundness  of  the  position 
I  have  hastily  outlined  here,  viz.,  by  accepting  the 
present  conditions  as  inevitable  and  likely  to  be 
permanent  for  some  time,  we  should  go  right  ahead, 
buy,  make,  create  demand,  and  sell.  I  say  if  we  ac- 
cept and  believe  in  this  policy  and  then  work  it  out 
we  will  go  in  once  more  and  wrest  from  the  country  a 


106 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

larger  share  than  ever  of  the  good  paint  and  varnish 
consumed  in  this  land.  The  other  fellow,  scared  by 
the  present  conditions,  may  weaken,  and  I  think  he 
will;  but  not  the  invincibles  of  this  well-trained  and 
ever  successful  organization  of  ours;  no  siree,  for  we're 
the  kind  of  an  outfit  that  does  its  best  under  pressure, 
and  you  know  that  as  well  as  I  do,  for  we've  proved  it 
before  now;  so  come  on  and  do  your  best  and  Til 
guarantee  the  results,  and  Til  try  and  do  my 
share,  too. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 107 

THE   MOST  VALUABLE  THING 

IN  THE  WORLD 

[191 1] 

J  HE  new  year  is  here.  New  opportunities 
and  greater  possibilities  are  ahead  of  us. 
These  are  very  common-place  words,  I 
know,  and,  I  was  going  to  say,  are  often 
overworked ;  and  yet  they  can  never  be 
overworked,  for  they're  true.  The  trouble  is  to  get 
people  to  be  serious  enough  to  thoughtfully  consider 
the  immense  possibilities,  not  only  of  every  new  year, 
but  of  every  new  day.  They  don't  think  or  plan 
ahead  enough.  Time  is  opportunity.  And  people 
waste  it. 

Every  man  and  every  business  that  uses  time  rightly 
will  grow.  That  is  what  time  is  for;  to  give  us  the 
opportunity  to  grow,  to  grow  bigger  and  better. 
Another  thing,  time  never  turns  back;  we've  got  to 
use  it  as  it  passes.  Think  of  it;  time  once  wasted 
is  gone  forever.  When  you  waste  time  you  throw 
away  chances.  You  handicap  yourself  and  lessen 
your  ultimate  progress.  You  will  never  go  quite  as 
far  as  you  might  have  done.  You  can  only  reach  your 
full  capacity  for  life's  accomplishments  by  the  right 
and  constant  use  of  time.  The  reason  some  men  do  so 
much  better  than  others  is  largely  because  of  the  fuller 
and  better  use  they  make  of  time. 

Men  talk  about  poor  business  conditions,  lack  of 
opportunities,  growl  and  kick  against  their  luck. 
They're  pessimistic,  disgruntled,  sore;    and  the  only 


io8 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

thing  that's  wrong,  nine  times  out  of  ten,  is  them- 
selves. They're  wasting  their  thoughts,  they're  wast- 
ing their  energy,  and  this  means  they're  wasting  the 
most  valuable  thing  in  the  world — time.  They  fail  to 
see  the  new  opportunities  of  every  new  year  and  every 
new  day.  There  is  always  a  way,  no  matter  what  the 
conditions  in  this  world  of  progress,  for  the  man  who 
learns  how  to  use  time.  You  can't  surmount  diffi- 
culties by  brooding  over  them.  You've  got  to  tackle 
them,  down  them  and  walk  over  them. 

I  don't  know  any  better  new  year's  resolution  for  a 
business  man  anxious  to  make  the  most  of  himself  than 
simply  to  make  up  his  mind  that  he  will  make  some 
profitable  use  of  all  his  time  during  the  three  hundred 
and  sixty-five  days  of  the  year.  That  means  that  he 
will  apply  himself  conscientiously  to  his  work  during 
business  hours,  that  he  will  use  his  leisure  to  strengthen 
himself  physically,  mentally  and  morally.  It  means 
that  he  will  cut  out  waste  of  all  kinds.  Nature  abhors 
waste.  We  were  sent  into  this  world  to  grow  and 
develop,  to  do  something  worth  while ;  and  remember 
this;  the  full  and  right  use  of  time  doesn't  mean  hard- 
ship or  drudgery  or  lack  of  enjoyment.  It  means  the 
very  opposite.  Time  constantly  and  well  employed 
insures  the  greatest  happiness.  There  is  nothing 
in  the  world  so  satisfying  as  a  sense  of  steady  and 
constant  growth. 

The  thing  I  like  best  about  our  Company  is  its  sure 
progress  toward  larger  and  better  things.  The  reason 
the  concern  is  growing  is  that  the  staff  is  growing,  and 
I  know,  better,  perhaps,  than  anything  else,  that  the 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 109 

business  and  the  staff  have  immense  possibilities  yet 
undeveloped.  Can  we  do  better  than  to  apply  our- 
selves rightly  to  the  cultivation  of  these  possibilities — 
every  one  of  us  ? 


no EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

AMBITION 

[1912] 

[GREAT  deal  has  been  written  and  said 
about  ambition.  We  are  warned  against 
the  evils  of  being  over-ambitious.  We 
are  cautioned  against  the  effects  of 
sordid  ambition,  and  we  are  told  of  the 
selfishness  of  grasping  ambition,  and  so  on  and  so  on. 
Of  course  excess  in  anything  is  harmful,  but  it  has  been 
my  experience  that  it  is  not  too  much  ambition  that 
most  people  suffer  from,  but  too  little  of  it. 

Ambition  is  a  great  thing.  It  is  something  to  be 
encouraged,  and  not  discouraged.  Regulate  it,  by  all 
means ;  but  don't  stifle  it.     Give  it  rein. 

It's  a  magnificent  thing  to  see  a  man  strive  with  all 
his  might  to  make  the  most  of  himself.  It's  ambition 
that  quickens  and  illuminates  the  imagination.  It's 
ambition  that  stirs  us  and  spurs  us  until  the  blood  in 
our  veins  tingles  and  our  nerves  quiver  as  we  press  on 
in  the  struggle  to  win  the  place  we  have  set 
out  to  reach. 

Sorry  I  am  for  the  man  who  fails  to  realize  his  ambi- 
tion, because  sometimes  it  is  not  his  fault;  but  more 
sorry,  far,  I  feel  for  the  man  who  loses  heart,  whose  am- 
bition is  dead,  who  gives  up  the  fight.  There  is  no 
hope  for  him.  He  has  reached  his  limit,  and  is  practi- 
cally down  and  out,  so  far  as  victory  is  concerned. 

So  I  want  to  say  this  word  to  the  staff — especially  to 
the  young  men;  keep  alive  in  you  the  fire  of  ambition. 
If  it  is  burning  low,  stir  it  up  afresh.     Make  up  your 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES ijj_ 

mind  you  are  going  to  be  somebody  and  do  something 
of  note  in  this  world  of  endeavor.  Make  up  your  mind 
you  will  make  your  life  count  for  something  worth 
while.  You  can  do  it  if  you  can  endure  the  strain. 
This  is  the  time  of  year  to  size  yourself  up  and  to  make 
new  plans  and  resolutions,  and  it's  a  good  time  to  take 
on  new  ambitions.  Remember  you  can  be  ambitious 
without  being  sordid.  You  can  be  ambitious  without 
being  grasping,  you  can  be  ambitious  without  being 
selfish;  and  remember,  also,  you'll  never  amount  to 
much  without  being  ambitious.  This  is  an  ambitious 
organization  you  are  in,  with  ambitious  plans  for 
greatness ;  and  we  require  ambitious  men  of  character 
and  ability  to  realize  our  aims. 

With  very  best  wishes  to  all  for  happiness  and  prog- 
ress in  the  new  year. 


ij* EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

THE  SALES  DEPARTMENT 

MANAGEMENT 

[191 2] 

J  HE  way  to  get  business  is  to  go  after 
it.  To  go  after  it  is  the  work  of  the 
sales  department,  and  if  properly  or- 
ganized and  efficiently  managed,  they 
will  get  it. 

Selling  is  the  great  thing  in  almost  every  business. 
Getting  rid  of  the  product  in  volume  at  a  profit  is  the 
object,  and  at  the  same  time  the  test,  of  a  successful 
business  man  or  a  successful  business  organization. 
This  world  in  which  we  live  is  a  great  marketplace,  and 
all  the  people  in  it  are  traders — buyers  and  sellers  in 
the  marketplace.  The  strife  of  competition  is  among 
the  sellers;  and  the  captains  of  industry  are  always 
master  traders  and  master  salesmen. 

It's  this  broad  view  of  the  world  as  a  marketplace 
that  makes  the  business  career,  with  its  increasing  and 
limitless  possibilities,  so  attractive  to  the  ambitious 
man.  Men  like  Morgan,  Carnegie,  Rockefeller  and 
Hill  have  achieved  their  great  success  largely  through 
their  ability  to  create  a  demand  for  their  products. 
They  sell  things  in  a  big  way.  They  possess  imag- 
ination, vision  and  force,  and  foresee  the  wants 
of  the  people,  and  are  the  master  salesmen  in  the 
world's  marketplace. 

It's  easier  to  get  men  to  make  goods  than  to  get 
men  to  sell  them.  It's  easier  to  get  men  to  handle  the 
accounting  department,  the  purchasing  department,  or 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES ri3 

even  the  financial  department,  than  it  is  to  find  men 
to  successfully  handle  the  sales  department.  The 
head  of  the  house  ought  to  be  a  salesman.  The  head 
of  the  country  ought  to  be  a  salesman,  with  his  eyes  on 
the  markets  of  the  world  at  home  and  abroad;  for 
successful  selling  means  successful  leadership.  When 
the  head  of  the  house  and  the  head  of  the  country  are 
salesmen,  business  is  good,  and  the  country  and  the 
house  are  prosperous. 

The  great  factor  in  selling  is  the  human  factor,  and 
not  the  things  we  sell.  The  things  must  be  right,  of 
course ;  but  it's  people  who  buy  and  use  the  things,  and 
therefore  it's  people  whom  we  must  interest  and  deal 
with  in  getting  rid  of  things.  Too  many  business  men 
are  paying  too  much  attention  to  the  things  they 
make,  and  not  enough  attention  to  the  people  who 
make  them,  the  people  who  sell  them,  and  the  people 
who  use  them.  It's  not  things  that  make  life — it's 
people.  It's  not  things  that  make  business,  it's  people 
— people  with  red  blood  in  their  veins,  men  and  women 
with  hearts  and  feelings  and  aims  and  ambitions — men 
and  women  susceptible  to  encouragement  and  sym- 
pathy and  training  and  discipline.  » 

The  sales  department  must  recognize  this  difference 
between  things  and  people.  They  must  understand 
the  importance  of  the  human  factor.  It  touches  all 
sides  of  the  sales  proposition.  The  efficient  sales 
manager  is  essentially  a  manager  of  men — not  things. 
He  must  know  his  line,  it  is  true;  but,  far  more  im- 
portant, he  should  know  his  people — the  staff  who  sell 
his  products,  the  customers  who  buy  his  products,  and 


ij4- EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

the  consumers  who  use  his  products.  It  is  the  char- 
acter of  his  work  with  these  three  classes — the  staff, 
the  customers  and  the  consumers,  that  determines  his 
capacity  and  his  success.  The  staff  must  be  made 
efficient,  loyal  and  enthusiastic;  the  customers  must 
be  made  permanent  and  friendly,  and  the  consumers 
must  be  made  satisfied  users  and  enthusiastic  supporters. 

The  great  thing  is  to  link  up  these  three  live  factors 
in  the  selling  proposition,  so  that  all  work  in  harmony 
and  close  co-operation  for  the  advancement  of  the 
house  and  its  products,  and — quite  as  important,  for 
the  advancement  of  each  other.  First  in  importance 
is  the  staff — the  inside  staff  and  the  outside  staff — the 
house  force  and  the  field  force.  They  must  all  be  im- 
bued with  the  selling  spirit.  They  should  all  be  sales- 
men, from  the  office  boy  and  telephone  operator  to  chief 
clerk  and  manager.  They  must  work  with  each  other 
and  not  against  each  other.  Their  united  aim  is  to 
create  and  increase  demand,  not  merely  to  supply  de- 
mand— that  is  the  business  of  the  order  department. 

Some  men  who  call  themselves  sales  managers  and 
some  men  who  call  themselves  salesmen,  are  simply 
order-takers.  Goods  that  sell  without  ingenuity  and 
effort  require  no  sales  department.  All  that  is  neces- 
sary in  such  a  case  is  an  order  department.  The 
master  salesman  is  one  who  can  create  business,  new 
business,  or  a  demand  for  some  new  article  of  business. 
His  is  the  genius  of  the  inventor  and  the  discoverer. 

The  ideal  salesman  is  more  than  a  salesman.  He 
should  be  a  representative  not  only  in  name,  but  in 
fact,  for  when  he  enters  the  customer's  store  he  repre- 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES m£ 

sents  not  only  the  sales  department,  but  also  the  adver- 
tising department,  the  manufacturing  department,  the 
financial  department,  the  accounting  department  and 
the  executive  department.  He  represents  the  house. 
He  should  know  these  departments  well  enough  to 
carry  out  the  policy  governing  them  and  to  co-operate 
with  the  house  and  the  customer  in  all  that  relates  to 
them.  Selling,  while  a  very  important  part  of  his  work 
is  not  all  of  it.  Only  a  systematic  and  continuous 
method  of  training  will  fit  him  for  the  position  of  an 
all-around  representative. 

The  fighting  spirit  should  be  the  dominating  spirit  in 
the  sales  department.  The  spirit  to  win  for  the  house, 
for  the  goods,  for  the  customer,  and  for  ourselves 
should  permeate  the  whole  organization.  Pride  in  the 
institution,  in  its  products,  in  its  management  and  its 
customers  is  what  makes  enthusiastic  and  successful 
fighters.  How  are  we  going  to  get  this  vital  and  price- 
less force  injected  into  the  organization?  You  can't 
inject  it.  Please  mark  that  carefully.  It  is  something 
that  develops  from  the  inside,  and  not  from  the  outside. 
It  is  the  outgrowth  of  merit,  fairness,  encouragement, 
sincerity  and  character.  Unless  your  management, 
your  house  and  your  products  possess  merit  and  de- 
serve loyalty  and  faithfulness,  nothing  you  can  do  will 
produce  these  things.  You  may  have  pretended 
loyalty  and  mock  enthusiasm,  but  not  the  genuine. 
Enthusiasm  and  loyalty  are  things  that  cannot  be 
forced.  Therefore  see  to  it  that  your  products  are 
exactly  what  you  represent  them  to  be;  that  your 
methods  and  policy  are  fair  and  liberal  alike  to  the 


n6 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

staff,  the  customer  and  the  consumer.  On  the  walls  of 
my  office  is  a  motto  of  my  own  making  that  I  keep 
constantly  before  me:  "Merit  begets  confidence, 
confidence  begets  enthusiasm,  and  enthusiasm  con- 
quers the  world."  If  your  proposition  has  merit,  you 
can't  help  but  have  confidence  in  it ;  and  if  you  have 
confidence  and  some  imagination,  you  can't  help  but 
become  enthusiastic;  and  enthusiasm  backed  by  merit 
and  confidence,  puts  the  kind  of  energy  into  us  that 
enables  us  to  go  out  and  conquer,  let  the  opposition  be 
what  it  may;  and  more  than  that,  it  gives  a  zest  and 
enjoyment  to  our  work  that  makes  the  effort  worth 
while. 

To  sum  up,  the  sales  department  is  the  lifeblood  of 
the  business.  It  is  the  feeder  for  all  the  other  depart- 
ments, and  should  set  the  pace  for  the  entire  organiza- 
tion. There  are  other  assets  of  a  business  than  those 
that  appear  on  the  balance-sheet.  In  an  efficient  sell- 
ing and  distributing  organization  penetrating  all  sec- 
tions of  country,  creating  and  supplying  demand,  lies 
one  of  the  greatest  forces  and  one  of  the  most  valuable 
assets  of  any  business.  Just  as  a  strong  army  and 
navy  makes  a  nation  secure  from  invasion,  so  a  strong 
selling  and  distributing  force  makes  safe  the  house  from 
the  keenest  competition.  It  is  a  force  that  is  more 
desirable  and  more  potent  than  any  monopoly — a  force 
that  commands  admiration  as  well  as  support.  The 
selling  force  is  the  compelling  force  and  the  propelling 
force.     It  compels  trade  and  propels  the  business. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 117 

FORWARD  AGAIN 

[1914] 

|HE  time  has  come  for  another  great  for- 
ward movement  in  The  Sherwin-Will- 
iams organization — an  old-time  expan- 
sion movement  with  every  man 
well  ahead  and  reaching  for  Top- 
Notcher  honors. 

The  time  is  absolutely  right,  in  my  opinion,  and  that 
is  all  this  organization  ever  wants  to  show  what  it  can 
do.  There  are  unmistakable  signs  that  the  business  of 
the  country  is  waking  up,  and  we  in  this  organization, 
who  are  ever  alert,  must  now  lay  hold  of  this,  our  oppor- 
tunity, and  press  forward  to  new  and  higher  records. 
Like  others,  we  have  been  moving  along  the  past 
couple  of  years  with  a  certain  degree  of  what  might  be 
termed  prudent  caution,  but  with  a  restlessness  that 
has  been  hard  to  check,  and  we  are  ready  now  with 
these  first  signs  of  returning  prosperity  to  let  ourselves 
loose  with  all  our  old-time  vim,  vigor  and  enthusiasm. 

During  the  recent  quiet  season  we  have  not  been 
idle — on  the  contrary,  we  have  been  very  busy  taking 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  add  strength  to  our 
already  unequalled  proposition.  We  have  improved, 
where  possible,  our  products.  We  have  added  many 
new  salable  articles  to  our  line.  We  have  increased 
our  manufacturing  and  distributing  facilities,  and  we 
have,  with  great  pains  and  skill,  improved  our  entire 
sales  and  advertising  proposition  until  today  it  is 
looked  upon  as  one  of  the  most  extensive  and  most 
effective  marketing  plans  ever  devised  to  reach  the 


1^8 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

consumer  and  help  the  dealer.  Surely  then  it  is  up  to 
us  now  to  show  what  can  be  done  with  these  many  and 
great  advantages — prepared  just  for  this  kind  of 
an  opportunity. 

I  have  heard  in  some  quarters  the  opinion  expressed 
that  The  Sherwin-Williams  Co.  has  made  its  greatest 
records.  It  has  been  said  our  great  achievements  of 
the  past,  of  which  all  are  justly  proud,  can  never  be 
fully  equalled.  Nonsense,  nonsense,  the  people  who 
express  such  views  don't  know  what  they  are  talking 
about.  They  have  no  real  knowledge  of  the  inherent 
strength  of  this  great  organization — an  organization 
that  has  been  built  up  with  the  hardest  kind  of  work, 
and  with  the  most  intelligent,  conscientious  and  pains- 
taking training.  Further  than  this,  it  is  still  in  the 
building,  for  the  same  old  ambition  to  enlarge  and  to 
excel  permeates  the  management,  and,  let  me  tell  you, 
as  President  of  this  Company,  and  as  one  of  those  who 
have  helped  to  shape  its  course,  that  our  business  in 
material,  in  methods,  in  money,  in  men  and  in  all 
important  elements,  is  stronger  today  than  ever  it  was, 
and  I  think  I  know  what  I  am  talking  about. 

The  old  leaders  are  still  in  charge,  eager  and  alert, 
and  they  have  secured  and  trained  a  group  of  young, 
able  and  enthusiastic  Managers,  who,  in  my  opinion, 
will  carry  this  business  to  new  heights  and  achieve  for 
it  added  prestige  and  reputation.  And  everybody 
knows  The  Sherwin-Williams  traveling  representatives 
are  the  standard  for  quality,  ability  and  achievement 
in  the  business  world,  and,  like  the  Company  they  so 
well   represent,   they  are   always  found  marching  in 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES ^19 

front.  We  are  an  army  trained  to  victory,  and  grown 
strong  in  old  veterans  and  in  new,  live  recruits.  We 
fear  nothing  and  will  always  strive  to  lead  and  to  de- 
serve our  success. 

The  time,  as  I  have  said,  is  here  for  new  records  and 
new  achievements  and  I  have  no  doubt  whatever,  in 
an  organization  where  merit  is  recognized  and  re- 
warded, every  man  will  give  a  good  account  of  himself 
in  the  campaign  we  have  now  entered  upon  with  the 
full  intention  and  expectation  of  making  it  the  greatest 
in  our  eventful  history. 

Believe  me  to  be,  with  best  wishes,  your  very  con- 
fident President  and  keen  fellow-campaigner. 


i2o EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

VICTORY  CROWNS  OUR  ARMS 

|HE  great  and  ever  memorable  "Forward 
Again"  Campaign  is  over,  and  victory 
once  more  has  crowned  our  arms.  To 
me  it  has  been  the  greatest  campaign 
and  the  greatest  victory  in  our  history, 
because  of  the  big  records  we  went  up  against  and  be- 
cause of  present  difficult  business  conditions,  which  we 
must  confess  have  not  improved  as  rapidly  as  we  had 
hoped.  The  great  thing  we  have  proved  in  this  cam- 
paign is  that  men  are  above  and  superior  to  conditions 
and  that  this  organization  can  succeed  where 
others  fail. 

We  went  up  against  the  biggest  February  business, 
which  was  last  year,  and  the  second  biggest  March  in 
our  history.  Those  records  were  made  under  favorable 
business  conditions.  We  have  come  through  the  cam- 
paign with  all  records  for  February  and  March  in  the 
Trade  Sales  Department  completely  smashed  and  with 
a  gain  to  the  ist  of  April. 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-Four  Sharpshooters  from 
the  Trade  Sales  Department  out  of  One  Hundred 
and  Sixty-two  have  qualified  for  Certificates,  and  the 
small  number  who  fell  short  made  a  magnificent  fight, 
and  each  one  a  most  creditable  record;  and  so  I  take 
great  pleasure  in  sending  you  this  message  of  con- 
gratulation, and  with  it  an  expression  of  your  splendid 
and  incomparable  work.  Full  particulars  of  the  results 
of  the  campaign  are  given  you  in  this  number  of  the 
Marching  News. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 111 

Let  me  say  here,  our  success  was  due  beyond  all 
else  to  the  magnificent  fighting  form  of  our  matchless 
sales  force.  Every  man  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the 
contest  with  that  vigor  and  enthusiasm  that  has  made 
our  selling  staff  noted  for  its  achievements  throughout 
the  land.  The  old  close  co-operation  between  Man- 
agers and  men  and  the  keen  friendly  competition  be- 
tween Districts  and  Divisions  was  as  strong  and  force- 
ful as  ever.  Add  to  this  the  united  determination  and 
effort  of  all  to  win  in  our  undertaking  and  you  have  the 
explanation  and  cause  of  our  latest  great  achievement. 

I  cannot  tell  you  how  great  has  been  my  satisfac- 
tion and  pleasure  in  finding  that  my  confidence  in  the 
increased  strength  of  our  organization  has  been  so 
forcibly  and  convincingly  confirmed.  Let  no  man 
dare  say  again  that  this  Company  has  reached  its 
zenith.  No  man  is  wise  enough  to  forecast  the  limits 
of  our  accomplishments.  Our  zenith  is  not  in  sight — 
our  aims  outreach  our  vision. 

I  want  you  to  know  that  I  am  proud  of  my  member- 
ship in  this  organization  of  men,  who  refuse  to  allow 
conditions  to  hold  them  in  check,  and  who  have  the 
courage  and  boldness  to  strike  out  with  confidence  and 
enthusiasm  when  others  are  complaining  and  halting 
in  gloom  and  pessimism.  We  have  "made  good"  in 
spite  of  them  all.  We  have  won  because  we  believed 
in  our  campaign  and  believed  in  our  Company  and 
believed  in  ourselves. 

And  now  we  look  forward  to  another  great  event. 
In  order  to  adequately  give  expression  to  our  apprecia- 
tion and  to  properly  celebrate  these  fine  results,  we 


122 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

have  decided  to  hold  another  of  our  great  National 
Conventions  at  the  Army  Headquarters  this  Fall. 
Every  man  is  expected  and  there  we  will  endeavor  to  do 
honor  to  your  great  records  and  to  your  splendid 
loyalty  to  the  great  organization  we  all  delight  to  serve. 

It  will  be  an  assemblage  of  the  elect,  of  the  heroes  of 
the  campaign,  of  the  Top-Notchers,  the  estimate  men, 
and  of  all  who  have  done  their  best. 

With  warmest  regards  and  sincere  admiration, 
believe  me  to  be  your  highly  pleased  Commander- 
in-Chief. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 


123 


THE  CAMPAIGN  IDEA 

[1915] 


AM  a  believer  in  campaigns.  I  believe 
they  are  good  for  us  as  individuals,  as 
well  as  for  the  Company. 

The  idea  behind  the  campaign  is  to 
fix  an  aim  and  then  strive  to  reach  it. 

If  we  have  no  definite  Company  aim,  the  chances 
are  we  will  have  no  very  well  defined  individual  aim. 
If  we  have  neither  a  Company  nor  an  individual  aim, 
we  are  sure  to  drift.  Aim  demands  concentration,  and 
when  persisted  in,  demands  striving. 

We  can  only  grow — upwards  by  striving.  We  grow 
— downwards  when  we  cease  to  strive.  The  reward  of 
striving  is  progress.    The  penalty  of  drifting  is  failure. 

If  this  great  Jubilee  Campaign  of  ours  is  to  be  a 
success,  and  of  this  I  have  not  the  shadow  of  a  doubt, 
then  every  man  must  organize  a  personal  campaign 
just  as  systematically  and  as  thoroughly  as  the  Com- 
pany Campaign  has  been  organized.  Each  one  must 
concentrate  on  his  individual  proposition,  and  care- 
fully plan  the  best  way  to  work  it  out,  and  then  put 
forth  the  striving,  using  all  the  Company's  Campaign 
facilities  to  make  it  effective. 

Speaking  of  striving,  I  can  well  imagine  we  have 
men  with  us  who  would  very  much  prefer  that  we  have 
no  campaigns.  They,  no  doubt,  honestly  feel  they 
can  do  as  well  or  better  without  the  stress  and  press  of 
special  effort.  They  may  resent,  shall  I  say  "being 
prodded."  I  know  some  good  men  who  feel  that  way, 
and  I  appreciate  their  views,  but  I  am  satisfied  from 


i24 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

my  personal  experience  that  all  of  us — even  these  men 
— are  really  better  for  the  stimulus  and  pressure  of 
special  organized  effort.  We  would  really  develop 
very  little  power  unless  forced  a  bit.  It's  human 
nature  to  go  slow  and  take  it  easy — but  that  never 
gets  a  man  anywhere.  It's  only  by  forcing  yourself 
you  find  out  what's  in  you.  If  you're  going  to  be  a 
winner  you've  got  to  be  a  pusher — there's  no  other 
way.     Striving  is  the  price  and  it's  got  to  be  paid. 

Many  a  man  has  discovered  and  developed  new  and 
unsuspected  powers  in  the  pressure  and  conflict  of  a 
real  life  campaign.  Campaigns  are  tests  both  of  the 
Company  and  of  each  one  of  us.  They  are 
also  opportunities. 

We  have  discovered  some  of  our  best  men  by  excep- 
tional records  made  by  them  in  some  of  our 
great  campaigns. 

Never  have  we  had  such  an  opportunity  for  tests 
and  records  as  is  offered  by  our  Grand  Jubilee  Cam- 
paign. The  occasion  is  a  great  and  inspiring  one — 
fifty  years  of  progress.  Conditions  of  business  were 
never  more  favorable,  taking  the  country  as  a  whole. 

Personally,  I  welcome  this  great  campaign  as  a  test 
of  my  own  work  and  an  opportunity  for  unprecedented 
records,  so  I  am  in  it  with  you,  and  pledge  myself  to 
do  all  I  can  to  insure  the  big  success  we  are  striving  for. 

It  will  be  a  big  year,  and  it  will  be  a  great  celebration 
that  will  be  held  next  Fall  to  commemorate  it,  and  it 
will  be  a  great  thing  to  stand  at  that  time  with  the 
record-makers. 

I  expect  to  be  one  of  them — and  you . 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 125 

A  MILLION  AND  MORE 

[1916] 

JE  are  well  accustomed  to  gains  in  this 
organization,  and  have  made  many 
great  records  in  the  past.  Nothing, 
however,  that  has  gone  before  can  com- 
pare with  the  great  achievements  of  this 
never-to-be-forgotten  Jubilee  Year.  Already  we  are 
more  than  a  million  ahead  of  our  sales  for  last  year  at 
this  time.  This  increase  has  been  accomplished  in 
the  dullest  period  of  our  fiscal  year.  A  gain  in  five 
months  of  over  a  million  is  great  work,  and  I  want  to 
offer  my  congratulations  to  the  men  who,  by  their 
tireless  efforts  and  irresistible  enthusiasm,  have  piled 
up  these  magnificent  figures. 

It  looks  now  as  if  every  man  in  the  organization 
would  be  an  estimate-maker  in  this  great  Jubilee  Year, 
and  I  would  like  to  express  the  hope  that  this  will  be 
so.  Nothing  could  give  me  more  satisfaction  and 
pleasure  than  a  full  and  complete  list  of  our  trusted 
Representatives  that  would  record  every  man  on  the 
right  side  of  his  estimate. 

Our  plans  for  the  great  Jubilee  Convention  this  fall 
are  already  under  way,  and  I  cannot  tell  you  how 
eagerly  we  look  forward  to  this  great  event,  when  we 
will  celebrate  our  fifty  years  of  history,  and  pay  willing 
and  hearty  tribute  to  the  men  who  have  made  the 
year  the  most  notable  in  records  of  all  the  years  that 
make  up  our  successful  past. 


ii6 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

ON  THE  DEATH  OF  MR.  SHERWIN 

[1916] 

]T  is  with  feelings  of  great  sadness  I  give 
you  the  brief  particulars  of  Mr.  Sher- 
win's  last  illness  and  lamentable  death. 
For  some  months  he  had  been  ailing, 
but  none  of  us  had  any  idea  the  end  was 
so  near.  About  three  months  ago  he  was  stricken  in 
his  office  with  heart  trouble,  which  was  the  first  warn- 
ing we  had  of  his  serious  condition.  He  partly  re- 
gained his  strength  and  was  able  to  come  to  the  office 
a  few  more  times.  Two  weeks  ago  he  suffered  another 
attack,  which  proved  to  be  more  serious.  On  Saturday 
last,  at  his  country  home  in  Willoughby,  he  took  a 
decided  turn  for  the  worse,  and  on  Monday  morning, 
the  26th,  the  end  came,  quietly  and  peaceably,  without 
pain  or  suffering. 

I  am  unable  to  express  in  any  adequate  way  how 
deeply  all  of  us  at  Headquarters,  who  have  enjoyed 
and  profited  by  our  association  with  him  for  so  many 
years,  feel  the  great  loss  we  have  suffered  by  his  death. 
We  are  able,  nevertheless,  to  take  great  comfort  in 
looking  back  over  his  long,  honorable,  happy  and 
successful  life.  We  remember  with  pride  the  notable 
achievements  of  his  splendid  career,  and  we  will,  I 
hope,  ever  be  inspired  by  the  great  example  that  he 
has  left  us  of  a  life  well  spent. 

As  the  founder  of  our  business,  we  will  always  enter- 
tain great  admiration  for  him.    We  will  remember 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES ^27 

with  affection  his  great  kindliness,  gentleness,  and  un- 
failing consideration. 

His  aims  and  ideals,  which  were  constantly  exerted 
for  the  highest  good  of  the  Company,  will,  I  trust, 
continue  to  influence  us  in  our  efforts  to  carry  on  the 
great  work  in  which  he  had  such  a  splendid  part. 


128 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

THE  GREAT  ACHIEVEMENT 

JIFTY  years  in  business  is  the  event  we 
celebrate  in  our  Golden  Jubilee.  The 
thing  that  makes  the  occasion  interest- 
ing and  inspiring  is  the  fact  that  the 
fifty  years  have  been  years  of  steady 
and  constantly  increasing  progress. 

History  is  only  interesting  and  enlightening  when  it 
records  advancement  and  real  achievements.  This  is 
as  true  of  the  history  of  business  as  it  is  of  the  history 
of  nations  and  of  mankind. 

The  development  and  upbuilding  of  a  business  is  like 
the  development  and  upbuilding  of  character — it  is  a 
slow  and  often  painful  process.  Experience  is  the 
inexorable  teacher — perseverance  and  endurance  the 
test. 

To  have  lived  and  worked  fifty  years  is  interesting, 
but  not  important.  To  have  made  the  years  and  the 
work  count  for  something  in  the  world's  progress  is 
alone  worth  recording  and  celebrating.  The  world  is 
not  greatly  interested  in  the  number  of  our  years;  it 
cares  only  to  know  what  we  have  done. 

"Established  in  1866"  means  nothing;  "The  Largest 
in  the  World  in  1916"  is  a  notable  record.  It  is  the 
thing  that  counts.  Larger  still  in  19 17  is  the  spirit 
behind  the  achievement. 

We  have  won  our  success  because  we  have  worked 
for  it.  We  have  paid  the  price  in  ceaseless,  intelligent 
effort.  We  have  trained  day  in  and  day  out  during 
these  fifty  years  in  the  mills,  in  the  factories,  in  the 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 129 

mines,  in  the  smelters,  in  the  laboratories,  in  the  ware- 
houses, in  the  counting-houses;  at  the  machines,  at 
the  desks,  in  the  club-rooms  and  in  the  convention 
halls;  on  the  road  and  in  the  stores  and  workshops  of 
our  customers.  We  have  planned  and  experimented. 
We  have  preached  and  practised.  And  in  all  our  work 
we  have  been  directed  by  the  one  controlling  thought 
— to  excel. 

We  have  striven  with  all  our  might  to  put  our 
organization  in  the  forefront — not  only  in  our  own 
trade,  not  only  in  our  own  country,  but  in  the  world  of 
commerce  at  home  and  abroad. 

In  all  our  struggling  and  striving  we  have  enjoyed 
our  work.  We  have  taken  pleasure  as  well  as  profit 
out  of  it.  We  have  not  looked  upon  our  work  merely 
as  a  job,  but  as  an  opportunity  for  a  career — a  career 
not  merely  of  money  making,  but  of  constructive 
achievement.  We  have  tried  to  build  something  more 
than  a  money-making  corporation.  We  have  tried  to 
build  an  institution  that  will  live  after  us — an  institu- 
tion that  will  continue  to  give  opportunities  for  sound 
success  to  countless  young  men  and  women,  seeking 
to  make  the  most  of  themselves  in  business  careers. 

This,  then,  has  been  the  spirit  of  our  work,  and  this 
is  my  explanation  of  our  success. 

And  let  me  add,  it  has  always  been  our  aim  to  build 
up  our  business  without  tearing  down  others.  We 
have  tried  to  "do  our  bit"  to  put  our  industry  on  a 
higher  and  better  basis,  and  although  not  members  of 
trade  associations,  we  have  always  been  ready  to  support 
those  things  that  we  believed  would  benefit  the  trade. 


i3o EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

We  have  always  been  friendly  with  our  competitors, 
and  have  greatly  valued  their  good  will.  In  our  com- 
petition, which  we  have  entered  into  with  vigor,  we 
have  sought  to  be  fair  and  considerate — believing  in 
the  doctrine  of  live  and  let  live. 

And  now,  a  brief,  personal  word.  I  have  always 
looked  upon  The  Sherwin-Williams  Company  as  my 
great  opportunity.  From  the  beginning  of  my  con- 
nection with  the  Company,  I  saw  clearly  unlimited 
possibilities  in  the  business — only  a  small  portion  of 
which  have  yet  been  realized.  The  confidence  and 
enthusiasm  I  felt  for  our  future  was  due  to  my  faith 
in  the  splendid  principles  and  the  sound  and  aggressive 
methods  on  which  the  business  was  conducted.  All 
honor  and  praise  must  be  given  at  this  time  to  the 
founders  of  the  business — Mr.  Sherwin,  Mr.  Williams 
and  Mr.  Fenn,  for  it  is  largely  due  to  their  foresight, 
wisdom  and  sterling  characters,  that  a  foundation  was 
laid  strong  enough  to  carry  the  superstructure  that  we 
of  later  years  have  been  able  to  erect  upon  it. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  inspiration  and  enthusiasm 
I  felt  when  I  first  came  in  touch  with  the  Company, 
and  the  men  who  were  then  managing  it ;  and  I  acknowl- 
edge now  with  feelings  of  the  greatest  gratitude  my 
indebtedness  to  the  Company  and  to  these  men,  for 
the  training  and  good  influence  that  came  to  me  through 
my  connection  and  association  with  them.  I  count  it 
the  wisest  decision  I  ever  made,  when  I  decided  to 
cast  in  my  lot  with  them,  and  a  large  measure  of  the 
success  I  have  enjoyed  I  attribute  to  this  decision. 

I  am  not  much  inclined  to  spend  time  or  thought  in 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES ijp 

looking  back  over  the  past,  excepting  to  learn  from  it 
the  things  that  help  to  make  a  better  future.  So  I 
will  not  attempt  to  review  the  great  days  of  our  great 
march  to  the  forefront  of  our  industry — encouraging 
as  they  are.  I  see  ahead  a  vision  that  far  eclipses 
anything  that  we  have  yet  done. 

The  results  we  have  thus  far  attained  have  never 
surprised  me,  as  my  hopes  and  expectations  for  the 
business  have  always  run  ahead  of  our  achievements. 
I  know  we  are  capable  of  much  greater  things.  I  know 
the  earnest,  ambitious  and  enthusiastic  spirit  which 
permeates  our  entire  organization  will  force  the  way 
to  a  more  brilliant  future.  It  is  this  very  thing  that 
makes  our  proposition  so  attractive  to  me.  I  know  of 
nothing  that  equals  the  satisfaction  one  feels  in  working 
out  successfully  with  his  associates  plans  of  meri- 
torious progress. 

Long  ago  I  gave  expression  to  the  idea  that  no  one 
had  ever  made  the  most  of  the  great  possibilities  of  our 
industry — and  this  is  about  as  true  today  as  it  was  then. 
My  confidence  in  our  ability  to  realize  these  high  hopes 
lies  in  the  faith  I  have  in  the  men  who  direct  and 
manage  our  widespread  organization.  Trained  in 
ways  of  efficiency,  ambitious  for  the  Company  and 
themselves,  tireless  in  energy  and  unequaled  in  knowl- 
edge of  their  work  and  in  ability  for  accomplishments 
— nothing  can  resist  their  compelling  force. 

Before  I  finish,  I  want  to  most  heartily  acknowledge 
my  great  debt  of  gratitude  to  these  managers,  and  to 
all  our  staff,  for  their  efficient  and  loyal  support,  which 
has  never  failed  me,  and  which  I  know  better  than 


132 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

anyone  else  has  wrought  our  success.  I  have  en- 
joyed immensely  my  association  with  them,  and  their 
co-operation,  willingness,  enthusiasm  and  loyalty  have 
ever  given  me  the  courage  to  press  forward  and  to 
unhesitatingly  seize  every  opportunity  for  the  up- 
building of  our  institution,  towards  which  I  feel  all  of 
us  have  given  the  best  that  is  in  us. 

One  more  acknowledgment  and  I  am  through;  and 
that  is  for  the  magnificent  support  we  have  always 
enjoyed  from  our  agents,  dealers  and  consumers  in  all 
parts  of  the  world.  Next  to  our  interest  in  our  stock- 
holders and  in  our  staff,  has  always  been  our  interest 
in  our  agents  and  customers.  We  have  sincerely  tried 
to  consider  their  welfare,  as  well  as  our  own,  in  all  our 
dealings ;  and  we  are  proud  of  the  good  will  that  exists 
between  us,  and  of  our  long  years  of  association  with  so 
many  of  them.  It  will  continue  to  be  our  policy  to 
make  our  business  grow,  by  helping  our  customers  to 
make  their  businesses  grow.  And  I  express  the  earnest 
hope  that  we  may  all,  stockholders,  employees,  cus- 
tomers and  consumers,  live  to  enjoy  continued  and 
increasing  happiness  and  prosperity  in  all  our  dealings 
and  relations  with  one  another. 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES  133 


MY  IDEA  OF  BUSINESS 

To  make  a  good  article. 

To  sell  it  at  a  fair  price. 

To  create  a  wide  demand  for  it. 

To  build  up  an  efficient  organization. 

To  make  opportunities  for  employees. 

To  help  customers  to  become  prosperous. 

To  give  satisfaction  to  consumers. 

To  practice  the  square  deal. 

If  these  things  are  done  well  the  object 
of  business  will  be  gained,  which  is 
profit — profit  to  the  owners,  to  the 
employees,  to  the  customers,  and 
satisfaction  to  the  consumers. 


i34 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

"THE  BIG  THING  IN  LIFE" 

(HERE  are  many  things  in  life  to  attract 
us  and  to  distract  us.  The  things  that 
attract  us  most  are  usually  the  soft 
things,  such  as  ease  and  comfort,  pleas- 
ure and  luxury.  These  are  the  alluring, 
but  frivolous  trivialities  of  life  in  which  our  time  is 
wasted  and  worse  still,  our  strength  dissipated.  There 
is  nothing  real  or  lasting  in  them. 

The  idea  that  life  is  meant  for  ease  and  pleasure  is 
all  wrong.  Life  is  far  too  important  a  thing  to  be 
frittered  away  in  a  careless,  meaningless  and  unpro- 
ductive existence. 

The  big  thing  in  life  is  Achievement.  We  are  here  to 
accomplish,  not  to  waste.  We  are  here  to  do  some 
worthy  things,  not  some  worthless  things.  Get  that 
well  in  your  mind  and  decide  you  will  do  the  big  thing 
in  life.  Decide  you  will  achieve  something  worthy. 
Select  your  field,  fix  your  aim,  and  press  on  against  all 
opposition  and  every  discouragement.  Press  on  bit  by 
bit  and  never  weaken  or  turn  back  until  you  are 
master  of  the  big  thing  you  set  out  to  do. 

Every  man  can  succeed  if  he  is  willing  to  pay  the 
price.  And  the  price  is  effort  and  toil — continuous 
effort  and  ceaseless  toil.  That's  what  life  is,  a  real 
battle.  A  battle  between  you  and  the  things  that 
stand  between  you  and  your  aim,  and  if  you  are  a  man 
you'll  fight,  and  if  you  endure,  you'll  win. 

Then  the  reward  is  yours — the  reward  of  the  vie- 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 135 

torious  and  the  successful, — and  the  sweet  part  of  the 
reward  you  will  find  in  the  satisfaction  you  will  feel 
in  having  won  your  fight  and  having  realized  the  big 
thing  in  life — Worthy  Achievement. 


136 EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 

CHARACTER 

lUSINESS  is  but  a  means  to  an  end.  A 
man  may  be  an  unqualified  success  in 
business  and  gain  wealth,  power  and 
fame,  yet  his  life  may  be  a  failure.  The 
test  of  the  successful  life  comes  when  a 
man  stands  at  last  before  his  Maker.  The  only  thing 
that  counts  then  is  character.  The  accumulations  of 
a  life-time  of  toil  and  struggle,  in  property,  goods  and 
money,  count  for  nothing.  These  must  all  be  left 
behind.  The  only  accumulations  we  can  take  with 
us  into  the  great  hereafter  are  those  of  character. 
The  question  we  will  be  called  upon  to  answer  at  this 
supreme  moment  is  not  "what  have  you  left?"  but 
"what  do  you  bring  ?" 
And  what  is  character,  and  how  is  it  formed? 
Character  is  your  personality,  it  is  the  thing  that 
distinguishes  you  from  others.  It  is  the  thing  you 
have  come  to  be  through  all  the  good  and  bad,  the 
pleasant  and  the  hard  experiences  of  your  life.  It  is 
the  realization  of  yourself. 

Character  is  formed  by  conduct.  Conduct  is  the 
result  of  habits,  and  habits  are  acquired  by  action. 

Everything  that  we  do,  good  and  bad,  has  its  effect 
on  character.  Our  thoughts,  our  conversation,  our 
every  transaction,  trifling  or  important,  all  go  to  make 
up  our  personality  (and  form  our  character).  And  one 
thing  is  certain,  we  are  always  changing.  We  are 
growing  better,  or  we  are  growing  worse.  Our  char- 
acters  are   growing   stronger,    or   they   are   growing 


EDITORIAL  MESSAGES 137 

weaker.  There  is  no  escape  from  the  universal  law  of 
activity  and  change. 

The  great  thing  is  to  make  sure  we  are  headed  the 
right  way  and  moving  in  the  right  direction.  This 
can  only  be  made  certain  by  adhering  to  fixed  principles 
and  striving  for  some  worthy  ideal.  It  means  self- 
discipline,  self-restraint  and  the  practice  of  virtue. 

There  are  three  stages  in  the  making  of  character — 
know  thyself,  fight  thyself,  conquer  thyself. 

Strike  out  on  your  own  lines.  Do  your  own  think- 
ing. Become  a  positive  personality,  and  fear  no  one 
but  your  Maker.  Fix  your  aim  and  purpose,  then 
begin  to  build  your  character.  Build  it  bit  by  bit,  as 
you  develop  your  work  or  build  your  business,  always 
improving  and  progressing  toward  your  ideal. 

The  greatest  help  to  this  end  is  the  forming  of  right 
habits.  Here  are  some  of  the  things  that  should  be 
crystallized  into  habits:  Be  fair.  Do  your  duty  fear- 
lessly and  cheerfully.  Be  considerate,  be  polite.  Be 
courageous.  Be  high  toned.  Be  unselfish.  Speak  ill 
of  no  one.  Be  natural — the  same  to  every  one. 
Acknowledge  when  you  are  in  the  wrong.  Forgive 
freely.  You  can't  please  every  one — do  not  try. 
Never  forget  a  kindness.  Help  those  who  are  struggling 
up.  Share  your  prosperity  with  those  who  have  helped 
you  gain  it.  Do  not  let  prosperity  or  success  spoil  you. 
Live  straight  in  every  way.  Be  a  man.  Make  your 
work  count  for  eternity. 


138 BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTE 

TH  E  following  paragraphs  will 
help  the  reader  follow  the 
trend  of  these  editorials,  which 
were  written  in  different  years 
and  from  different  executive 
positions.  These  dates  repre- 
sent the  important  steps  in  Mr. 
(Nottingham's  career: 

I  OOO    Born  in  Omemee,  Ont.,  Canada. 

j  Q  O  j     At  age  of  fifteen,  clerked  in  retail  hardware  store 
of  McKee  &  Davidson, Peterboro, Ont., Canada. 

.  Q  O  —    Went  to  Montreal  and  began  making  Gold  Paint 
'     and  other  specialties. 

Owned  Walter  H.  Cottingham  &  Co.,  Paint  and 
Varnish  Makers — was  also  of  the  firm  Cotting- 
ham-Robertson &  Co., Dye  Makers;  was  owner 
of  the  Windsor  Chemical  Co.  and  St.  Lawrence 
Canoe  &  Boat  Co. 

Secured  Canadian  Agency  for  The  Sherwin- 
Williams  Co. 

The  Walter  H.  Cottingham  Co.  and  Cotting- 
ham Varnish  Co.  were  formed  to  manufacture 
Sherwin-Williams  Products  in  Canada. 
Merger  of  The  Walter  H.  Cottingham  Co.  and 
the  Cottingham  Varnish  Co.  with  the  Sherwin- 
Williams  Co. 

Was  made  Director  of  The  Sherwin-Williams 
Co.  and  Manager  of  its  Canadian  business. 
Was  appointed  General  Manager  of  The  Sher- 
win-Williams Co. 

T  O  O  1    ^as  ma<^e  Vice-President  and  General  Manager 
'      <3    of  the  Sherwin-Williams  Co. 

Was  elected  President  and  General  Manager  of 
The  Sherwin-Williams  Co. 

—  The  Editors. 


189I 

1892 
1894 

1896 

1896 
1898 


I908 


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